Bill Rynsburger passed away peacefully, early in the morning of Tuesday, December 13, 2016 in the QEII Hospital, at the age of 86 years.

Bill was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands on June 8, 1930 to Matthijs and Willemijntje Rijnsburger. Bill immigrated to Canada when he was 19 and began working on various farms in the Bear Lake area. He and his wife Janny bought a farm west of the airport in 1959 where they raised their family and operated a mixed hog and grain farm for many years until Janny’s passing in 1999. Bill remarried May 3, 2003 to Jean Wolchyn. They remained on the farm for a number of years and recently moved into Grande Prairie, where Bill was easily able to continue his coffee routine every day. Farming was his career and in later years he spent many hours tinkering in his shop refurbishing old tractors.

Bill will be missed by his wife Jean, his children Yvonne (Bob) Whittaker, Gary, Joan Freed, Nancy (Darren) Haughian, and Sharon (Colin) Peters; grandchildren: Bonnie (Jason) McKeeman, Buddy (Jacquie) McBride, Jocalyn (Rueben) Hickok, Jessica Freed, Lane (Raelynn) Haughian, Darci (Geoff) Funk, Nicole Haughian, and Connor Peters; great-grandchildren: Kase McBride, Lily Hickok and Earl Funk; Jean’s children: Rod, Valerie (Ed) Thiessen, Brenda, Darren (Kristina) and Lori Curtiss (Donovan Kaskey), and their children and grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Jack (Olive) Rynsburger of Saskatoon, SK; Kees (Sjaan) Rijnsburger and sister Wilma (Fred) Thieme in Holland, and their children and grandchildren. Also his brother in-law Hank Van Rootselaar and his children.

He was predeceased by his wife Janny, brother Thijs (Holland) and sister in-law Yolanda Van Rootselaar.

The Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at 11:00 am at People’s Church in Grande Prairie (11850 108 St.).

Memorial donations, if desired, may be made to Grande Prairie & District United Way (#213 11330 106 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 7X9).