William Lawrence Dimen - "BILL" was born March 14, 1939 on the family farm in the Arbury District to William and Bertha Dimen. He ws the 3rd youngest of the family of ten - 5 sister & 4 brothers.
Even as a kid Bill and his brothers were mischievous and inventive. His dad would hide the guns when not at home so that the boys wouldn't go hunting with out him. Billy and Peter searched and searched but all they could find were some shotgun shells. So off to the shop they went. They found a metal pipe & ring that the shell would fit... next stop the slough, where they tied the pipe to a tree with a piece of rope and aimed it at a duck. Bill smacked the ring/pipe wiith a hammer, BOOM! - the hammer burst of his hand & the pipe blew apart. Bill, Peter and the duck were unscathed!
He went to a country school and got his grade 9 and was a straight "A" student. Bill farmed with his Dad and brother Peter until they each sold their quarters and bought two - 1966 cherry red Ford Fairlanes (which they loved to race).
When Bill was 24, he convinced a cute young blonde from Raymore named Elaine Deschene to marry him. The date was June 8, 1963 and this year would have been their 45th Wedding Anniversary. Together they raised 2 sons and a daughter and adopted another daughter when he was 53. He is proud grandpa to 4 granddaughters & one grandson.
Bill started working at Degelman industries in 1965 when it was located on the farm. He then moved the family to Regina, continuing to work at Degelmans for a number of years. In the late 70's he and his family moved to B.C. where he managed a large motel. Bill missed the prairies so much, they moved back to Saskatchewan after a year.
Bill started working for Headford Electric and found the time and energy to go to school to become an electrician. As a worker, Bill was very conscientious with a strong work ethic. Everyday like clock work he would come to work early, an noon he would have his 1/2 hour lunch and always returned exactly on time. But one day Bill didn't show up for over an hour and was sporting a new haircut. The young guys saw this as a chance to razz the "old guy" and teased him about getting his hair cut on work time. Bill replied with "My hair grew on company time, so I got it cut on company time".
His last job before retiring was for Gene's Ltd as an electrician but also handled any other maintenance issues they threw his way. Bill loved this job so much that he postponed his retirement until he was 67. His work took him all over the city, where he met and worked
with alot of wonderful people.
Bill and Elaine bought and were renovating a home 2 doors down from his bother Peter. Not only were they brothers but best friends, spending many hours together on an unofficial mission to find the best and cheapest breakfast and lunch spots in the city.
The name William's root word is "WILL" - unwavering firmness of character, purpose and resolve. Bill had it in spades! He never shied away from learning, experimenting and mastering many skills. He could even crochet - Well. He could cook - awesome - his cream chicken recipe is delicious. He loved gardening and building things with his hands.
Bill made a 5th Wheel camper in his driveway, he built houses and furniture. The most fun thing was probably the least useful - a potatoe gun out of PVC pipe. Many laughs were had launching various fruits and vegetables at the barn on the acreage. He swore by "No-Name" hair spray as the best propellant.
Bill loved nature and everything about the outdoors. He raised pheasants and Bantams from eggs and had some strange pets through the years - an owl, blackbird and a pet skunk named "Pepe Lepew". He was always nursing an injured animal back to health.
Bill was an avid outdoorsman. He loved to hunt and fish. His eyes would light up as he recalled hunting and fishing stories from the past. Stories of hunting in his beloved and favorite Pipestone Valley with Daryl. Stories of fishing for perch at Cymric on Last Mountain Lake with Peter and his Dad. But like all else in Bill's life, it wasn't the end result that Bill focused on. It wasn't the size of the buck or fish that mattered. It was always the journey and the wonderful time in the field or on he lake with family and friends.
Bill loved Hockey! He attended the Pat's games for over 30 years and was a season ticket holder for many of those years. He also enjoyed traveling and driving to far-off places on holidays. He and Elaine drove to Mexico several times and to Texas. Bill also loved speeding (echo of a candy apple red Ford Fairlane). Going to the states was interesting because he had to dodge several counties - and unpaid speeding tickets. But once, unfortunatley he sped through the wrong county. The smokie who stopped him didn't give him a ticket and let him go. Nope, he escorted Bill to the justice of the peace so he could pay his ticket immediately. He was running out of counties anyways!
He was not a demonstrative man, but showed his affection and caring in other ways. He never refused to lend an ear, a shoulder, a hand or his expertise. He was a man of few words, but those few words showed his wit, humor and intelligence. He loved to tease and joke but never in a hurtful way. He was a kind, honest, sociable, and dynamic peron. He is sadly missed by all who knew and loved him.
