WILLIAM PERSLEY of Picture Butte, beloved husband of Dorene Persley passed away at the Chinook Regional Hospital, on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at the age of 83 years.

Besides his loving wife Dorene, he is survived by his son Bill (Linda) and their children Chad, Kim, Jessica, Tynan; son Ron (Marla) and their children David and Brendan; daughter Loraine (Gordon) Hubbell and their children Lyndsey, Garrett (Michelle) and their son Anden; daughter Fae (Pat) McCune and their children Carly (Beau) Filkowski and Todd; daughter Sherri (Darwin) Skretting and their children Alexi and Breanne. William was predeceased by his first wife Elizabeth, and by William and Dorene’s son, Paul.

Dad lived his life for his family and was loved dearly by his children and grandchildren, who are all very proud of his many accomplishments. But nobody loved dad more than mom did, who has been by his side for 54 years. Dad was very proud of the fact that he saw his five children happily married, and was immensely proud of all of his grandchildren. Dad loved to have his family together for meals, and enjoyed playing pool with all the guys followed by a delicious meal prepared by mom (although dad always told everyone he had made the food). At the end of every dinner, dad would lean over and give mom a big kiss to say “thank-you”.

Dad truly was one of a kind - meeting him was an unforgettable experience. He worked extremely hard all of his life, and was a perfectionist with everything he did, no matter how small of a task. Other than caring for his wife and family, dad’s passion in life was his garden. He would look forward to planting his vegetables every spring, and would give frequent updates on his progress to all his kids and grandkids. Nothing gave him more joy than to give tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables to his family. In recent years, he had expanded his garden empire to two large greenhouses which kept him very busy throughout the summer months. Dad loved to indulge in his love of sports by watching T.V. and following his favourite teams, the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Papa will be greatly missed by all his grandchildren. Not only did he give the biggest hugs and kisses, but on each of their birthdays would personally serenade them with a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday”. Dad has given so much love to his children and grandchildren, and although we will no longer be able to play a game of pool, sip coffee, or tour the garden with him, we will hold our memories of him in our hearts forever. We’ll all miss you so very much.