BILL DERKSEN

1929 - 2011

William Derksen, beloved husband of the late Nettie Derksen, passed away in Taber on Sunday, December 4, 2011 at the age of 82 years.
The Funeral Service will be held at the First Christian Reformed Church, 3902 Heritage Drive, Taber on Friday, December 9, 2011 at 10:30 A.M. with Pastor Jakob Pillibeit officiating. Burial to follow at the Taber Memorial Garden.
Bill is survived by his children Ed Derksen of Taber, Marlene (Sheldon) Skretting of Vauxhall, Marie (Gilles) Leclair of Lethbridge, Teresa (Alan) Phillips of Taber, Kathy (Terry) Warkentin of Lethbridge, Brenda Derksen (Trent Fritz) of Taber and daughter-in-law Karen Derksen of Taber; fifteen grandchildren and twenty great grandchildren plus one more on the way. He is also survived by two brothers Henry (Linda) Derksen of Strathmore and Dave (Betty) Derksen of Taber; in-laws Margaret (Henry) Martens of Nipawin, Saskatchewan and Susan Paun of Lethbridge as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his wife Nettie June 15, 2011, his son Dave Derksen September 8, 2011 and his parents Anna (nee Zacharias) and Wilhelm Derksen and by numerous other family.
Bill was born in Hague, Saskatchewan on November 19, 1929, the oldest of seven children. He worked at several jobs before marrying Nettie but he especially mentioned having fond memories of working for the CPR. The work was hard and the pay little, so he had to move on.
He married Nettie Fehr August 8, 1953. They lived in Barnwell, moved to Saskatchewan in 1962 and returned to Barnwell in 1966, eventually settling in Taber. He worked in construction for many years, some farm work and prior to retirement, had worked at the Taber Sugar Factory for fifteen years.
His well known “sweet tooth” was well satisfied by Nettie’s famous marshmallow cookies, along with all of Nettie’s other baking and cooking he thoroughly enjoyed. His sweet, kind and gentle soul was so appreciated and loved by all he encountered at the Home Care facilities where he resided the last five years of his life. As Bill would often say, “I get treated like a King! They are so wonderful to me”.
In spite of his many struggles with sickness, his family was the most important part of his life. His family never quite realized the depth of his love, compassion and caring for them! He will always be forever loved and remembered by his family and friends.
If friends so desire, memorial tributes in Bill’s name may be made directly to the charity of one’s personal choosing.