William Stanley Van Bergen

fought his cancer with dignity and grace, never complaining of the card he was dealt.

Bill was born Feb 18, 1936 in Burnaby. When he was three, the family moved to Merritt and a few

years later to their final home in Port Alberni. It is there that he met and married the love of his life,

Gloria, who he was married to for 50 years before she passed away in 2009.

After finishing school he started working at the sawmill in Port Alberni and then moved onto working

as a mechanic in MacMillan Bloedel’s Franklin River shop. He transferred to the Port Hardy division for

five years starting as the shop foreman and then the maintenance supervisor. In 1974, he transferred

to Menzies Bay as the division’s maintenance supervisor where he retired after 36 years of service

with the company.

He was a loving father to his son, Tony (Rita), grandpa to Jessica and Rebecca (Matthew Welsh) and

GG to Amelia and Annabelle. His family was very important to him, he loved them dearly and they

will miss him.

He was one of the founding members of the North Island Model Railroaders and cherished

the friendships he made through the hobby. Many enjoyable trips were made to model railroad

functions and railfanning along the tracks. He also enjoyed riding motorcycles for many years and

was a huge fan of motorcycles, cars and hydroplaning racing.

The family would like to thank the awesome staff at Yucalta Lodge Hospice. They are the best!

The family invites friends and family to a Celebration of Life for Bill at 12PM, April 27 at Sutton’s

Campbell River Funeral Home at 502 South Dogwood Street, Campbell River, BC V9W 6R4