WILLIAM PETER DAUM

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WILLIAM PETER DAUM On Wednesday, April 18, 2001, William Daum passed away with his family by his side after a short battle with cancer. He will be loving remembered by his children, Candice Sabrina, James William and Leslie Bridgette; ex-wife Jean Daum; close friends and hundreds of dancers. He is survived by two sisters in Austria, Wanda and Kala. Born October 5, 1936 in Kaernten, Austria, Bill began ballroom dancing in his late teens. He enjoyed competing but his greatest passion was teaching. In 1965, Bill immigrated to Canada with $24 in his pocket! He lived in Montreal for 15 years. He obtained employment almost immediately in his trade as a pattern maker and also worked as a cabinet maker and boat builder. In the beginning, he did not speak English nor French. He met Jean at Arthur Murrays dance studio and they soon worked full-time in their own dance school. In 1981, they moved to Winnipeg. He founded the Winnipeg Ballroom Dance Centre in 1983. He also worked for the Westview Dance Club from 1984 to 2001. He was a creative genius who was able to relax the strict standards of European dancing and creatively combine International dancing with North American style dancing. This along with his gifts of humour and patience and passion for dance, enabled him to bring social enjoyment and wonderful friendships to thousands of dancers during almost 40 years of teaching. His syllabus will live on through his video tapes. A wonderful balance to his busy social life was his passion for nature, native culture and spiritual growth. He was a true example of authenticity and humility. His favourite daily activity was walking in Assiniboine Park. At every opportunity, he would escape into the healing qualities of nature. His dream was to live in the country. A celebration of Bills life will be held Sunday, April 22, in the country, at Jean Daums residence in East Selkirk from 2:00 to 2:45 p.m., with Rev. Tim Peterson, followed by a reception from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Car pooling is suggested to avoid congested parking. The easiest way to get there is to drive north on Hwy 59. Turn left at East Selkirk exit (Hwy 212). Turn right onto St. Peters Road (at the Bronze Boot Tavern). Drive 2.3 km to cross Dubas Creek bridge. Third driveway on left (large tudor-style home/globe lights lining driveway). Park on Oakview Drive (just north of the property) or on St. Peters Road. No flowers please. Donations may be made to the following multicultural youth event that Bill would have been a part of in August, 2001. A tax receipt will be issued. "Voices of Tomorrow", c/o Behavioural Health Foundation, Box 250, St. Norbert, MB R3V 1L6.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 20, 2001