ALLAN, William “Bill”

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Tukwy’qn

Bill Allan passed away unexpectedly at the age of 62 in Westbank, BC. He was born in Merritt, BC on August 8, 1960, to Ina Shuter and Bill Allan.

Bill is predeceased by his grandparents Mem (Ethel Bent) and Pep (Richard Shuter); his parents Bill Allan and Ina Shuter; his brothers Walter “Chris” Bose, and David Huston; and nephews Lawrence Bose and Trevor Bose.

Bill will be missed by his family and his long-time partner, Leah Bonde. He is survived by his children, LaToya (Brad) Keetley, and Mackenzie Allan; grandchildren Ellie and Finley Keetley; as well as his siblings Bill (Terry) Bose, Grace (Willy) St. Marie, Diane Allan (Archie Dagg), Patricia Cocks, Tina (Les) Ricketts, Grant (Tina) Coutlee, Sandra (Albert) Saddleman, Barb Huston, Arlene Huston; and many nephews, nieces, great-nephews, and great-nieces. He will also be missed by his loyal companions Jess E and Grey,

Bill moved around a lot in his younger years, spending time in Logan Lake, Kamloops, and Savona, BC while living with his brother Chris Bose. Around 1970, Bill moved to live with his cousin June Shackley in Maple Ridge, BC. At age 15, Bill moved to live with his siblings
Grace, Tina, and Patricia in Kelowna, BC.

When he was old enough, Bill moved back to Merritt, BC, where he met his childhood friend Claudette Jackson and began dating. Bill’s first child, LaToya Ina Marie, was born on January 2, 1985. In the fall of 1986, they moved to Kelowna, BC. Bill’s second child, Mackenzie William, was born on June 8, 1990. They lived there together for many years before separating in 2002.

After having some rough ups and downs in life, Bill met Leah Bonde. Bill enjoyed spending time with Leah and raved about her home-cooked meals. Bill would spend countless hours with Jess E riding his bike with her running beside him and going for long hikes to play fetch. Bill and Leah also had a cat named Grey that he loved.

Bill had a passion for motorcycles and loved adding and customizing unique pieces to his bike. Bill was mechanically inclined and enjoyed fixing and figuring out any issues with his bike. Bill taught his daughter and son-in-law Brad both how to ride and bought LaToya her first bike as a gift.

Bill worked for the Kelowna School District in the custodial department. He really enjoyed this position as it allowed him to make up for lost time with his son. His motto was, “No one gets a golden star for a broken back.”

Bill loved spending time with his kids LaToya and Mackenzie and his grandchildren Ellie and Finley, nicknamed Spirit and Sharky. Often spending his days off riding his motorbike to visit and have lunch together. Bill really enjoyed gatherings that included food, and he was always looking for to-go containers for leftovers. Bill and his children would often spend these lunches discussing the most recent episodes of Big Brother and Survivor. While his grandchildren begged him to play another game of Go Go Stop, or Red Light, Green Light.

Bill had a way of making the simplest things so much fun. He brought his children, nephews, and nieces on many trips to Walley World, an imaginary amusement park, where he flew the kids in the air running around the house on imaginary rides. He was also famous for creating obstacle courses at parks and playgrounds, and getting everyone young and old to participate. Bill enjoyed many sports and spent a lot of his time with his daughter LaToya as a child playing tennis, basketball, hockey, and baseball. He was competitive and rarely let her win. He would also take his family on all-day walks and bike rides all over the city. He was a kid at heart and loved adventure.

Bill was a simple man who enjoyed living with the basics and searching for treasures at flea markets and garage sales. Bill spent some of his time learning songs to play on his guitar, some of his favourites being Johnny Cash, Blue Rodeo, Van Morrison, and Eddie Rabbit. He was well known for his joking and sense of humour, no one ever knew if he was kidding around until the smile and laughter. He was an amazing storyteller and would always get right up acting out the story so much that he would be out of breath. He was very unique and surely left a lasting impression on everyone he met. He will be deeply missed, and we will cherish his memories forever.

We love you.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at 11:00 am, on the Shulus Reserve, 2158 Neale Road, Merritt, BC.

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