William Gordon Atkinson

Bill Atkinson

March 6, 1940 – December 16, 2020

Bill was born in Thunder Bay, ON.  He was the only child of Alta and Gordon Atkinson.  His first eight years of education were in a one room school in Murillo, ON followed by high school in Lac du Bonnet, MB.  Upon graduation, he trained as a pilot in the RCAF.  He later worked on the operating staff of two of the hydro electric power plants on the Winnipeg River.  He received a teaching certificate at Thunder Bay Teachers College and his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Manitoba.  He teaching career spanned 35 years and three provinces, with the majority of them in Summerland, BC.

Bill firmly believed that he lived ‘in the best of times’.  He felt that he was truly blessed to live most of his life in the beautiful Okanagan Valley.  He and Mary, his beloved wife and life partner, raised a daughter (Melanie) and a son (Jason) on their farm in Prairie Valley, Summerland.   Later they were to have the enjoyable addition of two grandchildren (Philip and Stephanie) in Athens, Greece.

Bill was always grateful to his many friends for the pleasure they added to his life.  He and Mary also enjoyed many exciting years of travel adventures to different parts of the world.

Bill wanted no service, but he hopes that those who knew him will remember him fondly and with a smile.

Bill’s favourite quote was;

‘Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, YOU’RE RIGHT!”

-Henry Ford

Thank you from the family of Bill Atkinson for all the warm thoughts and fond memories.  We hope Bill will continue to 'pop up' in conversations for a long time to come as we ALL know that this would make him smile.

-Mary, Melanie, and Jason

Condolences may be directed to the family through providencefuneralhomes.com 250-494-7752.