Obituary of William John MACKENZIE

March 1, 1957 – March 6, 2013 W.J. (Bill) MacKenzie, born March 1, 1957, passed away peacefully on March 6, 2013 after a short battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 34 years, Susan, and a son Bill Jr. He was predeceased by his mother Lucy in 1983 and his father William in 1999. Bill was born in Scarborough, Ontario and moved around with his family to Edmonton and Saskatoon before coming to Calgary in 1967. He graduated from Henry Wise Wood High School and the University of Calgary where he obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree. It was during his time at the University that he met the love of his life Susan, and they were married in 1978. He then worked at Clarkson Gordon Chartered Accountants and received his Chartered Accountant designation in 1981. Over the years he worked at Nova Corporation, Shell Canada Limited, and Petrorep Resources, before forming his own consultancy MacKenCo Ventures in 2000. For the past several years Bill enjoyed working with Calgary Technologies and Genome Alberta in the Alastair Ross Technology Centre where he had ‘the best appointed office space of his career’. Bill took great pride in his business, and many happy and productive hours were spent working together with his family. Bill had a love of the mountains, and being an avid photographer, several thousand beautiful photographs were created over the years. Canmore was a frequent weekend stop with family and friends to unwind and take photos. Over the past several years, summer driving trips down the Oregon and California coasts gave him the opportunity to pull out his large format camera and create some wonderful photographic memories. When short trips were on the agenda, he would hitch up the little family trailer and wander through the badlands and foothills, with Waterton Park being a favorite destination. A respected member of the Foothills Camera Club, Bill was actively involved in competitions and won many awards while also serving with the club executive. After convincing Susan to attend a few meetings, the race was then on to see who could win the most ribbons. Bill was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Calgary Petroleum Club. He was also the President of the Lodges at Canmore condo board and spent much time ensuring the property’s management and care. He was a wonderful caring and loving man, and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. During this difficult time, Bill and his family enjoyed many comforting visits from family and friends, and received loving care from the staff at the Sarcee Hospice. A special thanks goes out to everyone who supported us, including the wonderful friends and neighbours who gave us the gift of love through their cooked meals and baked goods, and offered rides as needed. The family would also like to thank good friends Dave and Judy who were accompanied by puppies in training with PADS, the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society. We would like to support PADS which trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities. If friends so desire, in lieu of flowers, tributes may be made in memory of Bill MacKenzie and sent to Pacific Assistance Dogs Society c/o 808 48 Street NE, Calgary, AB T2A 4L9. A celebration of Bill’s life is to be held at the MacKenzie home on Saturday, March 30, 2013 from 1:00-4:00pm. All friends and associates are welcome to come by and share memories. Forward condolences through www.mcinnisandholloway.com In living memory of Bill MacKenzie a tree will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES Park Memorial Chapel, 5008 ELBOW DRIVE S.W. Calgary, AB, T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200