Mike Williams

It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our Dad and husband, Michael Allan Howard Williams, FCA.

Mike was born in Vancouver BC, the second son of John Samuel Tamatoa Williams and Joyce Winifred (Cooper) Williams. He was predeceased by his brother Roger and sister Linda.

His father, "Sam" Williams was born in 1902 at Quesnel, BC to surveyor Sidney Williams (who named Vancouver's Grouse Mountain on a hiking trip) and Agnes Shepherd, daughter of Chief Ts'il.husalst of Lillooet. Sam was a descendent of John Williams, a missionary who founded the Cook Islands Christian Church and was martyred on Erromango Vanuatu. Dad's mom, Joyce Williams, was born in Vancouver in 1900 and trained as a nurse. During Mike's childhood, his father served as navigator in the Royal Canadian Navy on the HMS Woodstock. Following the war, Sam was a captain for ferries and tugboats and eventually retired from a position as manager with the Gulf of Georgia and Royal City Towing Company.

As a child, Mike moved from Vancouver to the newly created suburb of Burnaby where he spent an idyllic childhood attending school, playing with his friends and dogs Spot and Skippy, and raising bantam chickens. On Imperial Street, he also began his lifelong love of

baseball – both as a player and as a Boston Red Sox fan.

In 1951 he graduated from Burnaby South and went on to the University of British Columbia where he completed a degree in Commerce in 1956. During his summers off he worked on tugboats with his father and played baseball. While Dad never claimed to excel as a student he did excel at playing baseball for UBC and was awarded the UBC Big Block in 1956. Following University he studied to become a chartered accountant and in 1956 he moved to Calgary to article with Peat Marwick. He earned his CA designation in 1960 and in 1981, Dad received the prestigious designation as a Fellow of Chartered Accountants.

Mike met his future wife Daisy Pauline Popoff, a young teacher, when she travelled from BC to Calgary to visit mutual friends. Mike and Daisy were married in 1959 and raised their three children – Susan (1961) Jennifer (1965) and John (1969) in the community of Varsity in Calgary.

Dad continued to play baseball for the Ogden Cardinals when he came to Calgary and when his playing days were behind him he was a big supporter of local teams - but none surpassed his devotion to the Red Sox. A highlight for all of us was a trip to Seattle for his 75th birthday with the entire family to watch the Red Sox shut out the Mariners.

Dad was highly respected in the Alberta Oil and Gas industry. His career began in accounting at Husky Oil and Home Oil. In 1969 he was hired by CanDel Oil Ltd where he was promoted through the ranks from Treasurer ultimately to President. In 1981 when Sulpetro Limited took over CanDel Oil, Dad was appointed as the President of the international division that was engaged in offshore exploration and production. He was appointed President of Sulpetro in 1985. After the company was sold in 1988, Dad and two partners began a new venture with Gobi Oil. He was involved as Director and Chairman with several other ventures and was President of Walking Horse Energy Inc. until 2013 when he decided it was time to fully retire.

Dad's values ran deep and he was dedicated to the communities in which he lived. He gave back through his commitment of time and leadership to so many organizations and to so many people that it is hard to do it all justice. He was a board member of the Independent Petroleum Association of Canada from 1966-68. He was a Director of the United Way of Calgary from 1973 – 1977, President of the Financial Executives Institute of Canada from 1977-79, and served as both Vice President and President of Junior Achievement in the 70's. Dad was appointed to the Board of Governors of the University of Calgary and served and was Vice Chair. As a cancer survivor, he became heavily involved in Prostaid Calgary and was Co-Chair of the Alberta Cancer Foundation. More importantly to Dad, he never missed a call from someone concerned about prostate cancer. The list of all his volunteer and board involvement is lengthy but in addition he was involved with the Alberta Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Ranchmen's Club, and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. More recently, his focus turned to his church and he was a member of the Finance and Administration Committee for the Anglican Diocese of Southern Alberta until 2005. At the time of his passing, he was as a member of the St. Michaels Anglican Church Vestry in Canmore Alberta. And he didn't forget baseball – he was asked to be a scout for the UBC Thunderbirds.

Upon retirement, Dad was able to spend more time at our cabin in Canmore, which the whole family worked on together in the late 70's. There, he pursued activities he loved such as hiking, cross country skiing, golfing and mountain biking. In 2014 he decided to make Canmore his home and in addition to his church involvement he was active with the Canmore Seniors hiking group. At age 83, he reached the summit of Ha Ling Mountain. He enjoyed good fitness until the time of his passing and had well used memberships to the rec centre, and golf course in Canmore. Ever the optimist, he had a Nordic Centre pass for this season. He had a fondness for arts and culture and he was a frequent visitor to the Banff Centre, the Whyte Museum, the Canmore Folk Festival and volunteered with the Highland Games.

During his lifetime his extensive travels with Daisy took him to most of Europe, New Zealand, several South Pacific Islands, Russia, Morocco, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Dad particularly valued a family trip to Erromango in Vanuatu for an amazing reconciliation between the descendants of the islanders who killed missionary John Williams and our family, that he and Daisy were instrumental in making possible.

Dad's kindness, compassion, and ability to make time for everyone was legendary. He made friends wherever he went because of his genuine interest in others, and his down to earth way of connecting with everyone he encountered.

Mike is survived by his wife Daisy and will be deeply missed by his children and grandchildren – Jennifer Williams of Victoria BC, John Williams of Calgary (Nicolas Shykora, Kendra and Alyssa Williams)

Sue Williams Brawn of Calgary (Sam and Derrien Brawn), and numerous 4 legged family members, especially Pepita and Lady

who mutually adored him.

A service of remembrance for Mike was held on, Friday,

February 15, 2019, St. Michaels Anglican Church, 709 - 7th Street, Canmore, Alberta.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you consider a donation to one of the following organisations – The UBC Thunderbirds Baseball Program, The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, the Canadian

Wildlife Fund or St. Michael's Anglican Church in Canmore

in memory of Mike.

Services provided by Russ Reynolds and Bow River Funeral Service.