William Francis Sparks

Our family wants to share with you the passing of our beloved father, Bill (William Francis) Sparks. He died peacefully Monday afternoon, surrounded by his three surviving sons, their wives, his partner Marie Vautier, and two grand-daughters – just the way he wanted.

Dad was in his 87th year. He was full of gratitude as he approached this passage and appreciated all the visits, cards and phone calls he received over the past weeks and months. He was also grateful for the excellent professional health care he received from the care teams.

Life has been very generous to him: being born and raised in a loving family, making early-life friendships that would last a lifetime, sharing 58 years of marriage, raising four healthy and happy children, and being blessed with 17 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren.

As a child he moved around with his family due to the war, and finally settled in Kamloops. After graduating from the first Education class in UBC where he met his beloved Marilyn, they moved to the Okanagan where he spent most of his adult life. There they raised a family together and he taught History and Social Studies at Pen-Hi for 32 years. It was also during this time that they built their Vaseux lake home with their boys.

Bill and Marilyn moved to Victoria in 1994 where they settled in Oak Bay. Gardening, travelling, actively volunteering in several roles, he made many friends and enjoyed many meals and teas. Faith and church family was important all his life, and this was certainly true in his last years. In the last few years, he was blessed to share life and love with his partner Marie.

Dad was true to his values and character right through to the end of his life, enjoying deep and witty conversations, cultivating and enriching friendships, and strengthening family ties. His deep concerns for the inequities in the world were evident to us all of our lives.

Like our Dad, we feel immeasurable gratitude for the gifts of love and friendship he has received throughout his life. We will always remember his humour, his unconditional support to everyone, his practical wisdom, the touch of his hands, his commitment to justice and integrity, and the depth with which he loved.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 am on July 10th, 2021 at Broadview United ( Arbutus) 2625 Arbutus Rd. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Ourplace (www.ourplacesociety.com), to Broadview United Church, to the Canadian Diabetic Association, to Unicef, or to Prostate Cancer Canada.