WILFRED WILHO HOLMBERG

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

WILFRED WILHO HOLMBERG It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our greatly beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather Wilfred Holmberg, on January 18, 2006 at the Health Sciences Centre with his daughter by his side. Wil was 84. He will be lovingly remembered by his son David and wife Tina of Carman, daughter Sandra and husband Robert Langford of Winnipeg, and son Martin and wife Cathy of Soroako, Indonesia. His memory will be cherished by his beloved grandchildren, Julie and husband David Frederickson , Robyn and husband Scott Wellman of Winnipeg, and Jennifer, Brett and Kierstin Holmberg of Soroako, Indonesia, by his wee great-grandchildren Cory and Alex Frederickson of Winnipeg, by his sisters Martha (Lloyd) Miller of Hillsburgh and Dorothy (Charles) McKenzie of Rexdale, by his brother Ron (Rosanna) of St. Catherines, by sisters-in-law Rita Holmberg of Elliott Lake and Eila Kauhanen of Thunder Bay, by his cousins, his nieces and nephews and their families, and by his many friends. Dad was predeceased by his beloved wife, Lillian, in 1991, and by his parents Robert and Aino Alexandra, mother-in-law Anna Kauhanen, sister Ruth Rajamaki, brothers Robert, Allan and Russell, sisters-in-law Doris and Joanne, and brothers-in-law Martin Kauhanen and Arne Rajamaki. Dad was born in Sault Ste. Marie on February 5, 1921 at his home, going to school, helping at home and enjoying sports until moving with his family to Sudbury in his teens. There he finished his schooling at the Sudbury Technical College, playing hockey and where he began his lifelong passion for golf, first as a caddy and onward to become an accomplished golfer. Dad won many golfing awards throughout his life but was extremely proud when winning one tournament two strokes under his age which was 73 at the time. He was wonderful to golf with and had a gentle way of helping you on the course if you asked him for his advice. It was also in Sudbury where he met and married his beloved wife, Lil, on August 20, 1945. They both loved dancing to the many big bands that came through Sudbury and Toronto, and continued waltzing, jiving and jitterbugging together until Mom's passing in 1991. They also shared a love of golf enjoying many winter golf trips together, going fishing at the drop of a hat in winter and summer especially on Mid Lake, shift league bowling in the early days, and simply sharing their home and hospitality with family and friends. Dad was proud of his working career at Inco Metals working mostly in the Smelter, starting in Sudbury in 1939 and then transferring to the new town of Thompson, Manitoba in 1960, retiring there as General Foreman of the Smelter in 1978. Dad made many of his lifelong friends from those he met and worked with at Inco, enjoying the first aid competitions, shift league bowling and after retirement, volunteering with Mom in presenting pre-retirement seminars to Inco employees. In January, 2004, Dad moved to Carman to follow his son David who had retired there, still be in a smaller community and be closer to his daughter Sandra in Winnipeg. His son Marty and family had left Thompson that fall after accepting a transfer to PT Inco Indonesia so Dad was finally ready to move south. In the early years in Thompson, as part of a dedicated group with the new Lutheran pastor, they brought about the building of the Advent Lutheran Church. He also devoted countless hours of clearing brush and other tasks with the other Thompson golf fans in the building of the Thompson Golf Club. He started and ran with Mom, the Thompson Senior Men's and later also the Senior Ladies' Golf Tournaments for many, many years. After Mom passed away, Dad's good friends ensured that he continued to get away for his annual golf trips by joining him each winter going to South Carolina, Florida and in the later years Vancouver Island. Their enthusiasm for these trips meant a lot to Dad. Dad thoroughly enjoyed the company of his friends, whether fishing, golfing, curling, going to dances, or just getting together. He loved sharing a joke, enjoying a drink and having a good time. He deeply cherished their fellowship and we thank his friends for their love and support for Dad. Dad was devoted to his family, always there to lend a helping hand, his support and his encouragement. He adored his five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren and they in turn loved their Grandpa and Poppa very much. He was very proud of his children's and grandchildren's accomplishments and he will be sorely missed by all of us. We will have many, many happy memories of all our times together and we thank you Dad for everything. The last three years of Dad's life were marked with many struggles with cancer, but he won our admiration for his strength, determination and recovery powers after each operation or procedure and his desire to get on with the joy of living. During his last stay in hospital it was his wishes to see just his family, so he was extremely happy to see Marty who made the long journey from Indonesia to be with Dad for a lengthy and wonderful visit. His positive spirit will forever live within us. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held on Tuesday, January 24 at 1:30 p.m. in the Thomson Funeral Home, 669 Broadway. The family would like to thank the wonderful staff of GH3 in the Health Sciences Centre for all their care and concern. In lieu of flowers, donations in Wil's memory may be made to Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation, 675 McDermot Ave., Rm. ON1160, Winnipeg MB, R3E 0V9. THOMSON FUNERAL HOME 669 Broadway - 783-7211

Make a donation to

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 21, 2006