WILLIAM ROBERT (BILL) LINTON

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WILLIAM ROBERT (BILL) LINTON

William Robert (Bill) Linton (born December 28, 1932), first child of Jean Mildred Linton (nee Wallace) and William John Linton, died peacefully on May 2, 2025, after a long illness.

He survived by his wife Lenore (nee Louttit), his son David (Judy), his daughter Charlene (Bill) and his grandchildren Graeme Linton and Brenna Sisler (Dan). He is also survived by his brothers Jim Linton (Sandy) and John Linton (Karen), his sister Kathy Claeys (Alain) and numerous nephews, nieces, and their families. He was predeceased by his brother Wallace Linton (Barbara) in 2024.

Bill grew up in Winnipeg on Clifton Street across from Wolseley School during the depression and the war years. Bill's mother Jean died in 1942 after a long illness. When Bill was nine years old, his father William (also known as Bill) married Margaret Carter. Margaret became mother to Bill and his younger brother Wallace, and then to his siblings John, Jim, and Kathy.

Bill later attended Isaac Brock School and Gordon Bell High School. In grade 11 he left school to apprentice as a machinist with the CPR. The year he received his papers, the CPR changed from steam to diesel engines. Bill then trained as a draftsman and spent the remainder of his career producing drawings for several different organizations including Manitoba Hydro, then in the late 60s he began working at Arne's Welding, designing heavy-duty semi-trailer equipment until his retirement in 1994.

In February 1958, Bill met Lenore Louttit. They married in November that year and moved to St. Vital in 1962, where they raised their two children. Bill lived with Lenore in the same house until 2024, continuously maintaining the house and the garden over the years.

In his youth, Bill enjoyed swimming, diving, and gymnastics, especially the trampoline. He most enjoyed wilderness canoeing, fishing, and camping, making several canoe trips on the Manigotagan, Bird, and Winnipeg Rivers.

Bill made friends with many people and was active in the community. He fought the floods in 1950 and 1966. He co-founded the Barracuda Swim Club, organized a clean-up of the Seine River in the early 1970s, and was a long-time member of the St. Vital Agricultural Society. Bill volunteered for the St. Vital YMCA, the 4th Scouts, the Winnipeg Game and Fish junior rifle club, and the Manitoba Writers Festival. He ran once for St. Vital School Board.

Bill was a skilled handyman, especially in carpentry and woodworking. He spent many retirement hours in his basement workshop making trivets and other articles of his own design. He loved classical music and hits from the early 50s, reading classic science fiction, and westerns. He wrote poetry and practiced photography, glass engraving, and picture framing. Bill made winter toboggan slides, aquariums, and countless items made of wood. He repaired canoes, rebuilt carburetors, engines, and transmissions, and rebuilt a house. He loved having dinner at home with his family.

Bill's family expresses its sincere gratitude to those who cared for him during his last months, especially to the workers of Nova Vista Lodge, for their kindness and care.

A celebration of Bill's life will be held on Sunday, August 24 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Mary's United Church (formerly Regent's Park), 613 St. Mary's Road. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Save Our Seine or to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 10, 2025