Fredrick, William "Bill"

WILLIAM "BILL" FREDRICK, beloved husband of the late Sharon Fredrick, passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 11, 2020 at the age of 83 years.

Bill was born July 27th, 1936, the fourth of 13 children born to Rosalia Anne (nee Balog) and Henry William Friedrich.

Bill and Sharon were married January 16th, 1960, and initially lived in Coutts, AB. Bill and Sharon owned and operated Turtle Express Trucking, and Bill was a great driver. He always had stories to tell about where, who and what he delivered and how good his driving skills were. After selling their company, Bill continued to drive for FCL until health issues forced an early retirement. 

Together, Bill and Sharon had two beautiful daughters, Penny (Larry) Elford and Susan (Michael) Fedoruk, and from Bill's good stock came many grandchildren, GREAT ones too. Casey (Chris) Morris, Nikki (Bren) Demers, and Travis (Chloe); followed by Kyra, Matthew and Logan. Then came the great-grandchildren, which were even more delightful than the first round, and brought an extra spark back into Grandpa's eye - Newton & Molly Morris, Seth Elford and Damien Demers. 

Bill grew up in the wild of the prairies, and was an avid horseman. Bill fished and hunted. He also loved watching hockey (the Hurricanes and the Maple Leafs) and going skating. Some of Bill's favorites were Sharon's cooking and baking, puttering in the garage and sharing his sometimes tall tales with friends and family. He spent a lot of time with all his grandkids, teaching us to skate, play pool, shoot a puck, catch and throw a ball, shoot marbles and enjoy fresh picked peas and strawberries. More recently, he loved watching the great-grandkids play and learn. Even in these last few months, he was still up for a rambunctious game of catch or slowly driving trucks with the little ones. 

Since the passing of Sharon, Bill missed her every day. He did learn to manage on his own, even doing laundry, but it just wasn't the same. After his heart attack in November 2019, Dad was very strong and courageous, and we were lucky to have had this extra time with him.

Bill was predeceased by his wife Sharon (2015), his parents, brother Lloyd (2010), Norman (2017) and Ralph (2020).  

Left behind to mourn his passing and cherish his memory are his siblings Melford (Emma), Verl (Donna), Selby (Sylvia), Lesley (Doug), Teresa, Lorne (Shannon), Jamie, Carol, Debbie (Dennis); his children, grand and great grandchildren, and numerous nieces & nephews. Also, special friends Bill Dalton and Dan Kordikowski, who were very dear and very good to Bill. 

A Celebration of Bill's Life will be held at CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME, 2825 - 32 St. S, Lethbridge, AB on Monday, June 22, 2020 at 10:30 AM with Patrick Siedlecki officiating.

Following the service, Bill will be laid to rest with his beloved wife in Mountain View Cemetery.

For those who wish to attend, the family kindly asks that you RSVP to Cornerstone at 403-381-7777 or care@cornerstonefh.ca in order to properly adhere to the ongoing gathering restrictions in place.