Obituary of JOHN WILLIAMS

JOHN (MEL) WILLIAMS Suddenly at home on February 9, 2012, Mel passed away at the age of 71. Left to cherish his life is his beloved wife and soul mate, Pamm Routley; also his son Steve; daughters Debbie (Phil) of Toronto, Wendy (Rob) of Edmonton and Tracey of Winnipeg. He also leaves grandchildren Angie, April (Chris), Johnny, Samuel, Ben, Josh, Ryan, Robyn, Cameron and Jakob. He was very proud of his first great granddaughter Kensi who is 4 months old. He also leaves his 2 loving sisters Grace of Victoria and Doreen of Mississauga; his favourite mother-in-law Beverley Routley; his sisters and brothers-in-law Barb (Ryan), Mark (Wilma) and Paul (Elaine). He is also survived by many special nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his mother Mildred in 1990; his father Stan in 2002, his stepson Josh in 1994 and his father-in-law Dr. Keith Routley. As a child Mel went to St. Mary’s School and also was an altar boy. He joined the work force at a young age of 14 and ended up having a 35 year career at Via Rail, retiring in 1998. During his working career, Mel had many interests. He was part owner to 2 race horses in the 1980’s. He was also an avid fisherman at Clearwater Bay and Granite Lake, Ontario. He loved his summers at Shady Lake. Since retirement Mel took up baseball, volleyball down in Weslaco, Texas. He made many friends down there and we were lucky to have spent three weeks there recently. One of the highlights of Mel’s day was walking his 4 legged friends Mollie and Sassie. Last September Mel was diagnosed with colo-rectal cancer. After radiation and chemotherapy all fall he was sure he would beat the odds. During this time he had a special bond with his nephew Derek, as Derek was also going through chemotherapy. For all of you who knew Mel and probably enjoyed one of his gourmet dishes, you also knew he was a shopaholic and bargain finder. I met Mel in 1984 on a holiday and our first date was in San Francisco. We had 27 ½ years together and I will miss him terribly. The family wants to thank the many staff at St. Boniface Hospital Dr. Yip, Dr. Akra, Dr. Krahn and the staff and nurses on 7W. We also want to thank the staff at CancerCare in Radiology and also to special friends Wilf and Suzie. A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, February 16 at 1:00 p.m. at Cropo Funeral Chapel, 1442 Main Street. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the CancerCare Manitoba or the Winnipeg Humane Society.