Obituary of Walter Newmiller

Dad or as most knew him, "Wally", lived in Dawson Creek most of his life. He was born on November 4, 1917 in Sunnyslope, Alberta to the proud parents of Albert and Katherine Newmiller. Dad was one of 4 siblings, 2 brothers Gordon and Salvin as well as a sister Bertha. Dad grew up on the farm in Kneehill County, just east of Olds, AB and south of Trochu. He attended the Kneehill country school, where he completed the 8th grade. Although the 8th grade may not sound that impressive, dad definitely had a knack for numbers. Right up until a few years ago he still performed all calculations by hand or in his head. Dad also had quite the memory, which could be why he did so well in business. On many occasions, much to the shock or embarrassment of anyone in earshot, dad would resurrect a story or memory that most everyone else had hoped was long forgotten, never to miss a detail and usually add a few of his own to make the story more interesting. Farming and ranching were never in dad's blood and left the open prairie for the big city around the age of 21. Dad joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in Calgary for a short time until he was discharged, we think because the war ended. After his discharge he joined a truck convoy hauling equipment and supplies to Dawson Creek, B.C. for the construction of the Alaska Highway. Who would have thought he would never leave the Peace Country again. Dad worked in Dawson Creek, for Imperial Oil and George Bissett on his arrival around, 1941. We're not really sure what dad did for work at Bissetts Hardware, but he was always a jack of all trades and a bit of an entrepreneur so we're sure he kept busy one way or the other. The first thing dad had to do when he arrived in Dawson was find a place to stay. He ended up renting a room in the home of Charles and Juliana Peterson which is also where he met his future wife to be, Joyce Peterson. This was a tricky situation for some time as Joyce was the daughter of the landlord! Rumor has it, Charles didn't really care for dad. During dad's early years in Dawson Creek he was fortunate to witness or be part of many milestone events such as, the construction of the Alaska Highway, Dawson Creek's contribution to the American Army and World War ll, the great explosion of 1943 where the majority of Dawson was leveled, and the building of the Peace River and East Pine bridges, to name just a few. The ultimate milestone was the marriage of dad and Joyce Peterson on July 19, 1950 in the Anglican Church in Dawson Creek, B.C. This year marks their 61 wedding anniversary together. Times were tough and money was scarce back then. Mom and dad moved into their first home after they got married, which was a tiny 2 room converted garage across the street from the church on 11th street, downtown. They lived there for 8 years until they purchased their own home in the Crescent Park area of North West Dawson Creek in 1958. It was in this same home that they raised their 2 children, myself and my sister Karen. Mom and dad continued to live in this same home for 58 years. Over the years dad was very proud of their home and yard. Every spring he could be found in the yard on his hands and knees for days, planting flowers anywhere that would hold dirt. It truly was beautiful sight, year after year. In the fall dad would head out in the bush and come back with the pickup truck filled with trees. These too were planted in the yard and eventually you could barely see the house for the forest. Keeping a yard looking good is no easy task and dad made sure that as soon as his two helpers were old enough to operate the lawn mower and trim around all those trees they earned their allowance. Oh, and guess who raked leaves from all those beautiful trees in the fall? As was with the yard in the summer dad spared no expense or effort on the Christmas lights over the holidays as well. This may sound like a cliche but I'm sure you could have seen the house from outer space. Dad would spend days hanging lights and trying to find one more plug in somewhere so they wouldn't blow a breaker. Over the years he won the best lit house award several times. Their new home was no stranger to friends & neighbors where I remember many late night weekend gatherings in the basement rumpus room. Dad loved to entertain and was always the life of the party. If memory serves me, the bartender at many of these gatherings could barely see over the top of the bar but always managed to mix and serve a few of the favorites. Mom and & Dad enjoyed life. They regularly attended many dances around the community, Tomslake, Feller Heights, Besborough, and Rolla to name just a few. Dad considered himself quite the Fred Astair and often referred to himself as the "Northern Dancer". All kidding aside, he was pretty light on his feet. Besides dances, they travelled around the community following the local hockey teams. In his leisure time Dad enjoyed camping, fishing, hunting, skiing and gardening, but his passion was trap shooting. During his trapshooting years dad was the recipient of many trophies for his marksmanship including, several 25/25 and 50/50 trophies. Dad would travel all over northern B.C. and Alberta attending regional trap shoots in places like Ft St John, Prince George, Endaco, Chetwynd and Grande Prairie as well as Dawson Creek. Over the years dad was an avid collector of wild game trophy heads which he proudly displayed throughout our home, including a very large buffalo that greeted you at the back door entrance of the house. Several of these trophies dad generously donated to the Walter Wright Museum and the N.A.R. Park in Dawson Creek where they remain displayed today. If you happen to be in Beaverlodge you might find a head or two at the Beaverlodge Hotel bar as well. Dad also enjoyed downhill skiing, although some might say his form was not exactly that of a downhill racer. He fondly coined his skiing stance as the "A frame". It turns out that dad was more than a little bit bowl legged, which made him very easy to spot on the hill from a distance. None the less this never slowed him down and we spent many a weekend in the Pine Pass at Azu Village and at Dawson's Bear Mountain. Thanks to his stubborn insistence, and generosity with equipment, I learned to ski at an early age. 1953 was a very hectic year for Dad. He opened his first sporting goods store in Dawson Creek on 102nd ave. This was one of the first sporting goods only stores in the north at the time. Dad wanted his store to be a one stop shop for the outdoorsman so he stocked everything from flys for fishing to snowmobiles, boat motors and hockey equipment. Over the years dad and Wally's Sporting Goods developed a strong tie with the community and a reputation for quality, honesty and service to his customers. Dad always drove a hard bargain, some might even say too hard at times but I think everyone will say he always stood behind his sale. I'm not sure whether this nickname was coined by himself or someone else but he was often referred to as "Honest Wally Weatherby" by his friends and customers. Even though dad stocked everything imaginable in sporting goods his focus was always on guns. His love for guns extended to accumulating one of the largest collection of model 97/98 Winchesters in Canada. He also had quite a collection of muzzle loaders and muskets. One of these in particular was a very long red muzzle loader that dad loved to tell the story about the history of the gun and how the Hudson Bay Company cheated the natives out of their beaver pelts by continually making the barrel longer. Dad owned and operated Wally's Sporting Goods from 1953 to 1976, when he decided it was better to sell than fight the big chain stores. Soon after that Dad was offered a position with one of those chain stores to help set up their sporting goods department, which he did. If you can't beat them, join them. Dad was a very proud man. He always used to say that the most important things in life are your health, honesty, neve owe any money and always keep food in the fridge and a roof over your head. He kept his word on all of these points his whole life. Do not confuse food in the fridge with cooking, he couldn't boil water! Dad was very involved in the community during his working years. He was an active member of the Kinsmen Club for many years eventually becoming president. He also was one of the original founding members of the Kinsmen K-40 club. I think this was a club for the senior members that still wanted to party but didn't want to fund raise any more? Through Wally's Sporting Good he was an active sponsor of the local hockey club, soap box derby races, curling bonspiels and ski races. Dad was very involved with the Dawson Creek Sportsmans club where he spent many a Sunday or weekend either shooting or helping develop the Rileys Crossing trap range and the sportmans hall indoor rifle range. Coincidently, dad also trained that same short bartender to pull trap and load clay pigeons for the trap meets. Dad taught me how to drive. At a very young age I would sit on dads lap when we were out in the bush hunting and steer the jeep or truck down the road. Eventually I was tall enough to reach the pedals and take over the controls on the bush roads. My thirst for driving eventually became a pain for my mom too, thanks to dad. I would always accompany mom shopping on Fridays so I could drive the car from the corner of 17th street to the house. After teaching me I don't think dad could go through the same ordeal one more time. For my sister he surprised her with her own car one day, complete with driving instructor. He gave her some words of encouragement with the car, something like "get your damn license so you can drive yourself to work". That was dads department at the time, which he did faithfully. During his retirement years, dad kept himself wheeling and dealing guns, and gunsmithing out of his home where he had converted the basement into a small gun shop. For many years there was a constant flow of hunters, gun enthusiasts and friends that just wanted to stop by for a visit as well as swap a little bs. This was when he was truly the happiest. Dad eventually sold his prized Winchester collection and officially retired around 1999. About 3 years ago dad was suddenly stuck by dementia. Overnight dad went from the guy that remembered everything everyone else wanted to forget, to remembering only pieces from his past, mostly of his years on the farm in Sunnyslope, 72 years ago. In many ways this is very sad but there was a bright side as well, it buried the memories of things that annoyed him the most like the gun registration and politicians. Dad spent the last 3 years of his life at Peace River Haven, in Pouce Coupe. Right up until the last couple weeks he would still get up and play shuffle board on occasion, join in on board games with some of the other residents or just sit and listen to the guest singer on Sundays. The caring staff at Peace River Haven do an amazing job day in and day out, always trying their best to make everyone feel at home. Our family wants to thank everyone at Peace Haven for the special care they gave dad over the last 3 years. We know that even though dad was in his 90's, he could still be a hand full once in a while. There are many more stories or tales I could tell of my father like when he stole the ferry at East Pine and got it stuck in the middle of the river, or rolled his truck over a steep bank on Bull Moose Mountain and had to walk out of the bush in the late fall for over 20 miles, or when he was hunting on Puggins Mountain and his ball cap blew off his head and he always said that if you come across a big horn sheep with a ball cap, the sheep and hat were his. Where I'm going with this is, dad, Wally, was one of a kind! In closing, I ask that each and every one of you find your fondest memory of dad, Wally, and wish him the best in his new adventures. I wasn't able to be with my father in his last hours but if I was I would have told him that I loved him and gave him a hug. We never did this enough. This being said I ask all of you here today to remember this, remember Wally, and every chance you have, tell your loved ones how much you love them and give them that much deserved hug. You don't need a reason and don't wait until it's too late. Finally I feel the need to quote one of dads many sayings, something he said often and I feel might be fitting today, "First your money and then your clothes, that's the way she goes". Memories Presented By Wally's Son; Kevin Newmiller. Wally passed away on Friday, April 22, 2011 in the Peace River Haven, Pouce Coupe, B.C. at the age of 93 years. A memorial service was held on Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 1:00 pm from Reynars Funeral Chapel. Pauline Haycock officiated. Interment followed in the Dawson Creek City Cemetery. Wally was predeceased by his father; Albert, Mother; Katherine, Sister; Bertha, and Brother; Salvin. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Joyce, Children; Kevin (Richard) and Karen (Michael), Grandchildren; Carson & Nicole and Brother; Gordon (Belva)