James William Gow

William is survived by his wife, Diane; daughters, Soleil and Sonnet; son, Shepherd; father and mother, Young Fay Gow and Mee Kim Gow; sisters, Susan (David) Young and Connie (Young) Hwang; brother, Danny (Betty) Gow; as well as sister-in-law, Janice Gow. William was predeceased by his brother, Jerry Gow.

William was born April 20, 1960 in Lethbridge, AB. He moved to Taber, AB in 1963, where he excelled in sports (volleyball) and academics (Valedictorian, Class of 1978). William had many friends and admirers and was passionate in his hobbies including rocketry, racing, karate, singing, roller blading, acting and many more activities. He graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and earned his Certified Management Accounting designation shortly after, creating the foundation for all his successful business endeavors. He also gave back to his community, through his interest of sports, as an Assistant Coach of the SAIT women’s team in 1988, Coach of U of C Elite Boys team and eventually Head Coach of the SAIT Men’s Volleyball team where he met Diane.

William and Diane met in 1993, married in 1994, and were together for almost 23 years. From there it was business together, starting with opening 6 Pack Liquor Store, owning it for 5 years. After selling the store, they moved to Cold Lake to purchase the McDonald’s there, owning it for 5 years. They then purchased the McDonald’s in Lloydminster and continued to work there for over 15 years.

William’s accomplishments were many in McDonald’s and volleyball. But his most cherished memories are with his family. He said (having sold all his toys at one point), “Possessions mean nothing to me, but family experiences are number one”.

“He found God after we were married. It was shortly after Soleil was born. He said, “This can’t be luck, this is God’s wonderful creation”. I know in my heart that he is walking with God right now and looking out for all of us.” – Diane Gow

A Memorial Service for William was held at the First Baptist Church, Lloydminster, SK, on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at 1:00 p.m., with McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, AB, administering funerary services.

A Visitation will be held at FOSTER’S GARDEN CHAPEL, 3220 – 4 Street N.W., Calgary (across from Queen’s Park Cemetery), on Monday, October 30, 2017 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

A Funeral Service will be held at FOSTER’S GARDEN CHAPEL on Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at 10:00 a.m., with interment to follow at Queen’s Park Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made directly to the following Volleyball Teams: The Holy Rosary Raiders, The Lloydminster Comprehensive Barons, or The Lakeland College Rustlers. Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family via the website www.fostersgardenchapel.ca.