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Bill Modeland beloved husband of Gail of the Usherville District, formerly of Strasbourg passed away on June 26, 2022 at the Canora Health Centre. He was 72 years of age.
Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. from the Chapel of Preeceville Funeral Home.
Relatives and friends wishing to support the family may view a livestream of the service by clicking the link below.
Interment will follow in Preeceville Lutheran Cemetery.
Memorials in memory of Bill may be made to the Preeceville Wildlife Federation, the East Shore Wildlife Federation in Strasbourg or to Preeceville Home Care as gifts of remembrance.
Bill (Willian) was born on November 1, 1949 in Regina, SK. He was the only child of Donald and Willa Modeland.
Bill grew up in Cupar, Saskatchewan. Cupar was a small community yet large in family, as Willa’s sisters had also settled in the area with their families. Bill spent a lot of time growing up at the Maclean and Gibson family farms. As an only child, Bill was extremely close with his first cousins Glenda, Bill, Jamie, Glen, Sandra, and Sharon.
As with most young boys Bill was inspired by his heroes on TV. Roy Rogers was Bill’s favorite and he always dreamt of being a cowboy, unfortunately, one typically has to like horses to be a cowboy and Bill & horses just did not get along. From “camping & hunting expeditions” in Maclean’s coulee as children, to family road hockey games at Christmas time, Bill was always very close with his family.
After graduating high school in 1967, Bill started work at the Royal Bank in Watrous, SK, in a position his father Don had lined up for him. After moving around to a few other branches throughout Saskatchewan he ended up finding a career with the Credit Union, eventually working his way up to manager and general manager. Throughout all this, his constant was the love of his life, Gail Steward.
Bill and Gail married on May 22, 1971 in Cupar. They lived and worked in Regina until 1979 when they then moved to Strasbourg. Bill joined his parents in the Robinson Store business until 1984, when an opportunity at the local Credit Union led Bill back into the banking business.
After many years of trying, Bill and Gail were ecstatic at the news that they were finally pregnant. The arrival of their first child, a son, David William, on October 16th, 1986 brought the beginning of Bill and Gail’s family and the next chapter in their lives. Two years later their family was complete with a girl, Jenna Lynn, on December 4th, 1988. Bill and Gail’s world revolved around their children.
Throughout the years they made many memories at their family cabins. Bill grew up at Glen Harbour and wanted his family to have the same outdoor upbringing that he did. He and his family spent much of their summers enjoying the sun and the water at Glen Harbour surrounded by family and friends. In 1994 Gail’s sister Bonnie and her husband Pat bought a cottage 1 door down from Bill and Gail’s at the beach. This brought the 2 families even closer together and many a good time was had. They also made many special memories up at Missinipe in a cottage that the Modeland and Williams families built themselves in 1978. This was and still is a very special place for both families, being home to lots of core memories for all. Bill’s passion for hunting led him and 2 friends (Bert and Paul) to purchase a very small 3 bedroom house in Usherville in 1988; this community is where he would ultimately spend his days. Bill shared his passions and made many fond memories with family and friends at these special places throughout the years. Beach parties and watersports at Glen Harbour in the summer, spectacular fishing trips and shore lunches amongst the waterfalls at Missinipe, and snowmobiling, quadding and hunting at Usherville. Bill enjoyed nothing more than sharing these experiences with his friends and family members.
Bill retired from the Credit Union in 2006 and was able to put more time into some of his other interests, getting big into golf, helping out friends and even taking a position at G&S Marina for a season.
In 2012 Bill and Gail were blessed with the arrival of their first grandchild, Hunter (Jenna). Their second grandchild, Brooklyn (David), was born in 2014. Bill and Gail spent 9 years helping to raise their grandson Hunter and he and Bill had a very close bond. Brooklyn adored her Grandpa and they also shared many special times together.
In 2019 Gail retired and they moved permanently up to Usherville to a larger house and yard they had purchased in 2011 in anticipation of their retirement. Bill’s knowledge and passion for hunting also led him to take a part time position at the local hunting and archery store in Preeceville in 2021 where he met many new friends.
Bill’s health started to decline noticeably in November of 2021 during moose hunting season. Nothing was going to stop him from getting out for one last hunt with his son and his best friends. He was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma in February of 2022 and his condition rapidly deteriorated. He was admitted to Canora hospital on Monday, June 20, 2022 and passed away peacefully the morning of Sunday, June 26, 2022.
Bill was predeceased by his parents, Don and Willa Modeland. Left to cherish his memory is his wife Gail, children David (Chantelle and Arya) and Jenna, grandchildren Hunter and Brooklyn, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and many, many friends.