William (Bill) Dyback

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WILLIAM (BILL) DYBACK

May 1, 1933-Dec. 11, 2019

I had a humble start in life. My parents farmed south of Steinbach until my father died in 1961. Being the last sibling left at home, I cared for my mother until her death in 1985. Having never married, I remained single the rest of my life.

I attended Caruthers School 2½ miles west of my home on the Number 12 highway. In those days I walked to school year round, even on the most severe winter days. In the spring, it was often necessary to cross swampy areas by walking on the fence wire just to get to school.

While attending the school, I volunteered as custodian. In the winter I would walk to the school on Sunday night. There I would prepare firewood and clear snow in preparation for Monday morning. On those occasions, I would sleep on the desks and get up early to build a fire in the stove and haul water from one quarter mile away. One activity my brother and I and my classmates engaged in was gathering crows’ eggs and feet, with the promise of a few coins from our teacher.

As a young man, I ran the family farm and cared for my mother with my brother Tom. Then in 1962, I attended the Manitoba Technical Institute where I studied carpentry. This training served me well over my lifetime as it opened doors to new employment opportunities. My first job as a carpenter was with the Hudson’s Bay Company. Many of the projects I worked on were in northern Manitoba communities, including Rossville, Churchill, Cross Lake and also Baker Lake, NWT and Northern Ontario. Later, I worked for Brown & Rutherford Cabinets in Winnipeg and Manitoba Sugar (spinning out sugar).

I travelled throughout Manitoba as a self-employed carpenter and my specialty was building stairs. I even travelled as far west as Kelowna, BC to build a house for a friend from St Pierre. One of my last major building projects was to build a house for my brother Tom.

Many years later, declining health forced me to sell my home in the country and move to the City of Steinbach where I purchased a smaller manageable property. I finally settled into a condo in Stone Creek Courts in Steinbach. Having brought some woodworking tools with me to my new home, I set to work doing maintenance and repairs for my friends and neighbours in the building, never expecting any payment.

Much of my time over the course of my life was spent helping others. This is the way I would like to be remembered.

Bill was predeceased by his parents and his siblings: Alice, Sophie, Tom and Steve.

Bill will be remembered by his sister Anne, niece Luba, nephew Darrell and their families, plus other relatives, many friends, acquaintances and good friend Anni Markmann who will miss his daily phone calls.

Bill’s funeral service was on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019.

As published in The Carillon on Dec 18, 2019