H. W. Bill Cholin

Hubert William Cholin, known to everyone as Bill, passed away peacefully in the Kerrobert and District Health Facility on October 30, 2020, at age 93 years and 2 months. 

Bill was born Aug 30, 1927, in the Kerrobert hospital, eldest son of Hubert and Madeline, and was raised with his three siblings on the farm 12 miles east of Kerrobert. He received most of his education at Oakwood school, travelling the two miles on horseback in the summer and by horse drawn cutter in the winter. He completed Grade 12 in Kerrobert and then worked a couple of winters in Coleville and Edmonton before settling into farming full time. He married Rita Seffern on February 24, 1954. They raised six children on the farm they bought across the road from Oakwood, and together they developed and expanded the grain and cattle operation until retirement to Kerrobert in 1989.

Bill was highly involved in the community. In the winters, he spent many hours in the Kerrobert arena supporting his kids and grandkids in minor hockey and figure skating. He rarely missed a Tiger hockey game and was a fixture at the Tiger ticket gate for years. In the summers, nearly every Sunday ended with a picnic supper with friends and neighbours at Tramping Lake Regional Park. Bill dedicated himself to growing and improving the local area by serving on the Park Board for decades, on the municipal council as Reeve of the RM of Mariposa for 25 years and later as director of W.C.D.A of Rural Municipalities. He was a member of multiple associations including the Verulam, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Committee, the Board of Directors of the Kerrobert Co-op Association, the Kerrobert Credit Union, the Kerrobert Recreation Board, and the Board of Buena Vista Lodge and Pioneer’s Haven. During the past 25 years, Bill devoted a lot of time and effort to the development of the Kerrobert Reservoir Enhancement project by voluntarily taking on the care and maintenance of the area through to his late 80s and serving as the treasurer of the Kerrobert Wildlife Federation until he turned 90.

Bill was an avid hunter and fisherman. He guided American goose hunters for several years in the 50s and 60s, and he replenished the family deep freezers with ducks, geese, deer and moose every fall. After retirement, he took several fishing trips every year up north with the boys and a few times to the west coast with his brother Jim. He passed his love of nature onto his kids and grandkids ensuring they were able to recognize and appreciate the animals and birds in our part of Saskatchewan.  

Bill was devastated by the loss of his son George just two weeks before his own death. He was also predeceased by his wife Rita in 2003; his parents Hubert and Madeline; in-laws Jeff and Dorothy Seffern; sisters-in-law Carol Cholin, Marion Neumeier, Connie Alexander and Joyce Borschneck; brothers-in-law Norm Alexander, Nels Borschneck, Gilbert Mock, Doug Reed, Lorne Porter, and John Seffern; and nephews Jay Alexander and Douglas Klassoff. 

Bill is survived by his children Brenda, Robert (Marie), Don (Shannon), Brad (Sheri), Crystal (Ted Zarowny) and daughter-in-law Della (George); grandchildren Corrine (Chris Carfantan), Dan (Annie), Jennifer (Dylan McConnell), Nicole (Jesse McQueen), Michael, Brett, Jessica, and Natalie; great grandchildren Levi, Quinton and Kaden Cholin, Dylan and Taylor Carfantan, Chloe and Declan McConnell; siblings Lorne (Lorraine), Marilyn, and Jim (Fran); in-laws Lorraine Mock, Boni Seffern, Jean Porter, Diane Reed, and Brian (Susan) Seffern; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Should friends so desire, donations may be made to the Pioneer’s Haven in Kerrobert or the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan in lieu of flowers.

Bill’s family is grateful to the staff of the Pioneer’s Haven and Home Care staff that supported him while he lived there this past year. We also thank Dr. Wentzel, the nurses and all staff at the Kerrobert & District Health Centre for their compassionate and professional care throughout Dad’s last weeks in hospital. 

The funeral service will be private.  It will be live streamed for the public on Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. on the Kerrobert Catholic Church Facebook page.  Please feel welcome to post your condolences on Bill's Tribute Wall.

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