EWERT: William Franklyn (Bill)
June 19, 1943 – April1, 2021
Dad passed away on April 1st, 2021 at the age of 77 on the family farm. He crossed the river peacefully surrounded by his family.
Dad was born on the farm near Lockwood, SK on June 19, 1943 to Menno and Lottie (Bartel) Ewert. They moved to the farm west of Drake in 1945, where he grew up with his seven siblings.
He attended elementary school at Bloomfield School just north of the farm, grade 9 and 10 at Drake School, then went onto Rosthern Junior College for Grades 11 & 12. He was baptized on June 10, 1962 at North Star Mennonite Church. After high school he attended the Canadian Mennonite Bible College in Winnipeg for two winters, where he met the love of his life, Leona (Tiny, as he lovingly called her) Braun. They were married on May 29, 1965.
Dad farmed with his older brother Jim and was known for his straight seeding rows long before GPS and autosteer were a thing. He loved looking after the land; always striving to be a good steward of the earth. In retirement, Dad helped a few neighbors with seeding and harvest. When his nephew Chuck started farming Dad helped him until 2018. He also spent more time with Jim working on his passion, restoring antique cars. He knew every small detail and part which differentiated the years of a Ford Model T.
Three of the most important things to Dad were family, church, and community. Family was foremost in Dad’s thoughts and actions. The love that Dad and Mom had was evident to all who knew them, he recently mentioned that he “loves her as much now as he did the day they were married”. Dad had a special relationship with each of his children and grandchildren. He spent countless hours taking his grandchildren for rides in the cars he restored, even making a special car for them to drive. He also maintained great relationships with all his siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews, as well as many friends.
Dad believed in supporting his community and spent seven years on the Lanigan Board of Education. He was instrumental in getting the Drake Community Centre built in conjunction with the School Board. Dad also spent six years on the Drake Credit Union Board. He volunteered on the Drake Co-op Board, was a founding board member of the Scattered Spokes Car Club and a member of the Saskatoon Antique Auto Club. One of the last boards he gave his time to the was the Community Fundraising Board.
Dad had a strong faith and supported the Church in many ways. Over the years, he held positions of Trustee, Usher, Youth Leader, Sunday School Teacher & Superintendent, Auditor, sat on the Boards of Education and Missions, and sang in the choir.
Dad is pre-deceased by his parents, his youngest sister Eleanor Weatherhead and his sister-in-law Anne Ewert.
He is survived by his loving wife Leona (Braun) Ewert, three children and nine grandchildren:
Angela (Keith) Brenneman,
Tristan (Nicole Harrison), Morgan (Jordan Nardai), and Bronte;
Patrick (Erica) Ewert,
Tanner, Evan, and Reid;
Sherida Ewert,
Kassidy (Hudson Schaan), Madison (Owen Peters), and Kaden.
He is also survived by six siblings: Jim (Eileen), Ed (Myrna), Tim (Linda), Dorothy (Rosanne) Zaba, Greg (Alma), Elwood, and brother-in-law Rob Weatherhead, as well as many in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews.
A sincere thank you to our family, friends and especially to the North Star Church family and the community for the prayers and support during this difficult time.
Dad’s last years were a struggle with Parkinson’s. In memory of Dad, donations can be made to the Parkinson’s Society of Saskatchewan. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date.
For online condolences, tributes or, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations please visit: fotheringham-mcdougall.com/
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Bill Ewert Thursday April 1st 2021..
fotheringham-mcdougall funeral service
Death notice for the town of: Watrous, Province: Saskatchewan