Obituary of WILLIAM (BILL) HIBBARD

WILLIAM (BILL) HIBBARD

October 31, 1949 - June 12, 2019

Suddenly, on June 12, 2019, William Hibbard passed away surrounded by his family. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.

He was predeceased by his father William, mother Lucille and nephew Steven.

Left to mourn his passing is wife Linda, sons William (Jennifer) and Jeremy (Mallory) and daughter Nicole (Noel), brothers Ron (Joanne) and Michael (Joyce) and sisters Valerie, Linda (Horst), Brenda (Mark), Sandra (Bill) and numerous nephews and nieces. He will be missed by his grandchildren, Jacob, Emma and Rowan and childhood friend Garth. Bill was a devoted father to his children and grandchildren.

Bill graduated from Elmwood High School and later attended Red River College and the University of Manitoba. As a career, Bill worked for the Justice Department in Corrections for over 25 years. After retirement, he took a solo trip to New Zealand to visit cousins and see firsthand the Lord of the Rings Hobbit Village, it was the trip of a lifetime and he was excited to experience all the natural beauty of New Zealand.

Bill wore many hats and he was dedicated to improving his community by being an active stakeholder in his area. For many years, he volunteered his time working with children as a Cub leader and especially enjoyed his time working with the Kinsmen Kids. Bill was an avid baseball fan and was a baseball umpire at the community club and professional level for many years. He also volunteered his time to act as a softball coach for his daughters’ team. He was heavily involved in the Elmwood area advocating for safety and greenspace in the community. Throughout the years, Bill was an active member for several committees and enjoyed being a part of socio-economic changes to improve life for his fellow community members. He also volunteered his time assisting with campaigns for the NDP.

One of his favourite hats to wear was as a Santa Claus during the holidays where he donned the red suit and jolly persona at malls and private functions to the delight of children. Even without his Santa suit during the off season, small children would still approach Dad and exclaim “It’s Santa!”.

Dad loved the cabin and Grand Beach. At the cabin, he was also known as the Skunkbear to his children, a mythical part skunk part bear hybrid who would delight upon scaring his children to bed by scratching on the window screens and growling.

Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 22 at 1:00 p.m. at Cropo Funeral Chapel, 1442 Main Street.

We love you, we thank you for all the love, and all the memories you leave behind. You will be missed. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba. 

"A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others." - Wizard of Oz