WILLIAM ALEXANDER YANISIEW

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WILLIAM ALEXANDER YANISIEW September 6, 1923 - April 10, 2003 He will always be with us. William Alexander Yanisiew died suddenly April 10, 2003. We will miss his smile and laughter. His love of life and family was his legacy. Bill Yanisiew was the loving husband of Agnes Angeline (Miller) (1927 - 1992) and the father of Valerie (Bill) Olynyk of Ladysmith, BC, Russell (Leslie) of Timmins, ON, Donald (Darlene) of Timmins, ON, Robert of Nanaimo, BC and five grandchildren, Dalyce, Darin, Lara, Janna and Jerin. Bill is also survived by two sisters, Kay Kuzenko, Nellie Slivinski and a brother Stanley Yanisiw. Bill joins many loved ones whom predeceased him, including his parents, Nellie (Sowka/Kowal) and Alex Yanisiw; his brothers, Alex, John, Mike and Steve Kowal and John Yanisiw; and his sisters, Kay Pawlychyn, Mary Chapman and Anna Chomica. Bill Yanisiew was born in Chatfield, MB, the youngest of a large first generation Ukrainian-Canadian family. He grew up in a loving family on a big prairie farm and he never tired to telling stories about the wonder of that sense of belonging and the innumerable outdoor adventures of his youth. As a young man, the Second World War interrupted the education he began at University of Manitoba and completed at UBC. He served in the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) 1943 - 1945, on the navel vessel HMCS French. Following the end of the Second World War, Bill spent a year travelling through the United States. On return to Canada, he resumed his education, and in the late 1940s began work at Hollinger Mines, Timmins, ON. Here he met Agnes Angeline Miller. They married in Winnipeg in 1951 and soon Bill and Agnes became the loving parents of Valerie, Russell, Donald and Robert. As a family, they lived in Atikokan, ON (1953 - 1966) where Bill worked at Steep Rock Iron Mines. In 1966, they moved to Timmins, ON, where Bill was employed as an Industrial Engineer at Falconbridge (Kidd Creek Mine) until he retired in 1985. Bill and Agnes moved to Nanaimo, BC in 1985, enjoying their retirement until Agnes became ill in 1990 and passed away two years later in 1992. In years that followed Bill met Audrey Gunn-Fowlie who became his friend and companion. A service celebrating the life of William Alexander Yanisiew will be held at First Memorial Funeral Service, 1720 Bowen Rd., Nanaimo, BC on Saturday, April 19 at 1:00 p.m. Interment will take place at Cedar Memorial Gardens, Cedar, BC. In lieu of flowers, a remembrance donation to a charity would be greatly appreciated.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 16, 2003