My father was such a special and accomplished man, a legend in his own lifetime. He had a rough start in life. Born inBirmingham, UK to Annie and Clarence Hillman, his mother passed away when he was only 6 months old, and his father died when he was 5 years old. He was raised by his grandmother until she died when he was 15 years old. As a result he was not able to finish high school, and went to work as an electrician’s apprentice. He also served two years in the Royal Air Force, where he met my mother, Doreen Margaret Short. They married on November 13, 1954, and I was born the following year in September.
At 6ft 4ins tall, my father was a very big man. He took up the sport of weightlifting, and became very successful in the sport. This gentle giant of a man went on to become British Heavyweight Weightlifting Champion 3 times, and in 1960 he was selected for the Great Britain Olympic team to compete in Rome that year. He placed 15th in the Games, and I have always been very proud of his accomplishment as one of the strongest men in the world. He was eventually defeated for the British title by Dave Prowse, who later went on to play Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy. Dad and Dave remained friends for many years.
He had by this time joined the army, going on to serve 20 years in the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers, and in 1960 we were sent to Minden, North Rhein Westphalen, Germany. I was 5 years old, and always remember crying to Dad that I couldn’t play with the German children on our street because they could not speak English. Dad told me they didn’t need to, that I needed to learn to speak German, and he sat me down and taught me every day until I was able to converse quite well. He was fluent in German, and pretty good at French too.
Living in Minden was the start of a world of exploration. My Dad had a thirst for knowledge, and we loved to travel around to monuments and historical places to learn about the places that were near where we lived. We traveled through the Netherlands and Belgium on our trips home to the UK, and went to Vienna and stood on the banks of the River Danube, and took walks in the woods.
After about two years we went back to England, to Tilehurst. There were weightlifting tournaments, and Dad taught me to ride my first grown up bicycle. Before long we were traveling back to Germany, to Bielefeld this time. I was 9 years old. Dad made me my first “Walkman” – a little transistor radio he made to fit in Swan matchbox, with an “earbud”. I frequently went with him on weekends to the barracks where he would work on our old car. During our time in Bielefeld he taught me an appreciation for classical music, particularly opera. We would go with Mom to the Opera Haus in the city, although I confess to embarassing them by falling asleep during Wagner’s Tannhauser, which was very long.
When I was 12 years old, Dad taught me to shoot at the barracks indoor rifle range. We used .22 single shot, bolt action rifles. Dad was a trained sharpshooter, and taught me well. Before too long we were shooting together in competitions, especially after we went back to the UK on his posting to Netheravon. While we were still in Bielefeld we took a trip to Berlin, where Dad was competing in the World Weightlifting Championship in East Berlin. This involved having to travel through Check Point Charlie. I will never forget the East German guard stopping our vehicle. Dad was in uniform and we were supposed to be allowed to go straight through. The guard acted very threateningly at first, but I suspect my Dad’s 6ft 4 280lb frame gave him some pause for thought, and when Dad demanded to see the commanding officer, the guard caved and let us through. Certainly a tense moment. Dad could be quite stern, but he had the reputation of being a really nice guy and a real English gentleman!
After another tour of duty in England, at Netheravon in Wiltshire, Dad was posted to the British Army Training Unit, Suffield – a tank training base on the Alberta prairies, near Medicine Hat, Canada. Here he fell in love with open prairies and the wonderful camping trips to the Rockies, and spent as much of his free time taking us to Banff, Jasper, and the Okanagan, to name just a few of the places we visited. Such was his love for all that Canada had to offer, after he was sent back to the UK for a tour of duty at SRDE in Christchurch, he decided that it was time for a career change. He had by this time attained a Fellowship in the Royal Society of Electrical Engineers, and applied for a job and was hired by what was then Alberta Government Telephones, AGT, later known as Telus. In 1975 he and Mom left the UK to take up his new position and live in the City of Edmonton. After two years, they bought a nice house in the growing City of Beaumont, and lived there for the rest of their lives.
Dad was still very active in weightlifting, but more often in the capacity as an official. He encouraged and coached many young men in the sport and officiated at the 1978 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Edmonton, and the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg. He also worked as Competition Secretary in 1995 at the NACACI Masters Weightlifting Championships, in which he also competed.. He was honored by the International Weightlifting Federation for 50 years of competition and service to the sport. Unfortunately Dad tore both his knees in the Masters Championships, and that ended his competition days, although he was 63 years old at this time. He continued to train in his weight room at home until well into his 80s.
Now that he had more time on his hands, Dad started computer classes at Le Rendez-Vous senior citizens club in Beaumont, and took up playing the classical guitar. He got so good at the guitar playing that he played at local events. Everything Dad did, he did well.
In September 2022, his beloved Peewee, my Mom’s nickname, passed away. Six months later Dad suffered a major heart attack and was diagnosed with colon cancer. I spent several months travelling back and forth between my home in Ohio and Beaumont, taking care of Dad’s little Pomeranian, Spice, and taking him to doctor and radiation appointments. It all became too much for him, and he was obviously not able to remain in his home. I am very grateful to the staff at the University of Alberta Hospital, Leduc Community Hospital, and MacTaggart Place for all the care and compassion they gave him. During the three months that he lived in MacTaggart Place, he had his beloved little Spice with him. He passed away peacefully on the evening of December 10, 2023, with Spice and me at his side. He was my hero, and I loved him dearly. He was the love of Doreen’s life, and she was his beloved Peewee.
Rest in Peace, brave soldier, gentle Ironman
Missing this great man with all our hearts – Elisabeth Bond (and my husband James), grandchildren Claire Webb and Christopher Webb, Granddaughter in law Kim Webb, Great Granddaughter Lily Webb, Great Grandsons Laurie and Dennie Webb, all of whom live in the UK.
Doreen Mathilda Sobus
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