SPIERS

Dr. William “Bill” Spiers

Passed away on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 with his daughter by his side. Bill had a kind and gentle way and will be profoundly missed by so many people whose lives he touched over the years.

Born in Brantford Ontario on August. 20, 1944, Bill was the youngest of nine children. Despite the untimely loss of his father at four years of age, Bill grew up in a happy, warm, and loving home. With 17 years between Bill and his oldest brother, he counted amongst his family many nieces and nephews that were as much siblings to him as his own.

With aspirations of a higher education, Bill enrolled at the University of Waterloo College of Engineering. During his first year at Waterloo, however, Bill and the faculty mutually agreed that his efforts might be better spent elsewhere. Bill used this time to explore the world, taking a ship to Liverpool to spend time touring Europe and North Africa. Upon his return to Canada, Bill enrolled at the University of Guelph, where he would earn his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1973.

It was at Guelph that Bill met his wife Sandra Smylie, marrying on May. 28, 1971. Shortly after graduation, Bill and Sandra moved to rural Saskatchewan to begin his career as a veterinarian. On April. 5, 1975, Bill and Sandra welcomed their first and only daughter Amy Lee into the world in the midst of a prairie winter storm.

In 1978, Bill was given a life changing opportunity to work across the country in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. Bill and family quickly grew to love the Maritimes, settling in Bridgewater, where he would eventually start and run his own practice until his retirement in 2015.

Bill was a patient and loving father, spending countless hours with his daughter Amy, reading out loud, swimming, biking, camping, canoeing, and helping with science projects. Bill is also remembered by Amy’s childhood friends for his jovial nature, and the occasional ride to school in his “stinky vet car”. He also welcomed two international students into the family home and was a dad to each of them for a year. Bill is remembered by many for his patience with children, spending much time chatting, teaching, teasing and joking with the sons and daughters of friends and family.

Bill had the opportunity to be a father to stepchildren, Hannah and Lacey Meisner, whom he loved deeply. They fondly remember camping trips to Keji, his pride in making gifts for them in his woodworking shop and above all his love and support.

In 2019, Bill moved to Saskatoon Saskatchewan, where Amy had settled after university, to be close to his grandchildren. Bill was his grandchildren’s biggest fan, rarely missing a soccer or basketball game, even when declining health made getting there challenging.

Bill was a talented and creative woodworker, building everything from small puzzles and toys to beautiful furniture. He took pride in being able to make or fix almost anything. Bill played the guitar throughout his life and also joined and adult band to learn the trumpet.

He was a gifted veterinarian and cared deeply about his clients and their pets. He loved animals and brought many to his home that had no one to care for them. He was also remembered as a patient and kind person to work with, teaching, mentoring and encouraging many colleagues and staff.

In 2000, Bill received a kidney transplant. His loved ones will be forever grateful to the family who made the selfless choice to donate, giving Bill this gift of life.

Bill is predeceased by his mother and father, Delcey and Charles Spiers and his siblings Sid, Alice, Joyce, Frederick, Robert, and John. He is survived by Sandra Smylie, his daughter Amy (Cameron) and his grandchildren Jack and Kathleen, his stepdaughters, Hannah and Lacey, his sister Delcy and his brother Dan as well as many nieces and nephews. 

Condolences can be forwarded to 2402 Cumberland Ave S, Saskatoon, S7J 1Z9. Donations can be made to the Kidney Foundation of Canada.