William John Fullerton

BLINK… in just the blink of an eye we lost one of the best known to most of us as Billy!

William John Fullerton made his entrance to the world on November 3, 1962 in Montreal QC and was a whooping 8 lbs 9 oz. He was the youngest of 3 children and his siblings certainly took advantage of Bill being the “baby and favourite” of the family. When his brother and
sister needed something from mom and dad… they sent Billy in to make the request. Bill could not pronounce Billy when he was young so they started calling him “Biddy.” Bill thought this was great until he found out that Biddy was often referred to as an old lady. He abruptly ran to mom and said I would like to be called Bid now (which he could
pronounce) and to this day… that is his family name.

He attended elementary school at McCaig elementary, then off to Rosemere High School, and attended SAIT in Calgary. Bill’s intellect was always borderline genius. You could ask him anything and he would know the answer or complicated formulas to figure it out. But ask him where his wallet or keys were, well that was another story. Bill played trumpet in the school orchestra and his favourite song was Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White by Al Hirt! His family considered a bulk package of headphones as he played it and played it and played it over and over again.

He was placed in the first French immersion class in Canada and within weeks was fluent. They assigned him 4 pages of math which he completed in 15 min of the class so took the opportunity to walk around the classroom. The teacher said, well if you are so fast, here are 2 more pages to complete. Bill was very “black and white” and was annoyed by the fact that he was punished by finishing early. Maybe this is why later in life as we all know… he ran on “Billy time” which was always late! No matter where he was on the face of the earth you could ask him “when will you be here” and his response was always “15 min away.”

He was given an allowance for chores around the house and thought this wasn’t enough. So, the entrepreneur that he was, he took on a paper route and saved enough to buy his first motorcycle. It was actually more of a scooter, but he called it a motorcycle. This was the start of a work ethic that could not be surpassed. Billy’s one downfall was that he could never say “no.” From herding cattle, to farming, to concrete, to rigs, to doing a
septic repair at 2am in -40 weather at his buddie’s house. Nothing was unattainable for Bill… he was your go-to guy, your rock, your everything.

His 2 loves were Bob his ride-or die (literally) horse, and Jack (his confidant Australian Shepard) were his soulmates and being with them just calmed Bill’s soul and made each and every day better. He was the horse and dog whisperer and any animal would
gravitate to him immediately. It was amazing to watch. And let’s not forget the day that Bill rode Bob down Macleod Trail over to Copperfield through the City.

Bill spent many years as the DJ at Ranchman’s. You could always pick him out with that unique voice that just made you want to get up and dance. His freshly pressed Cinch shirt, jeans, cowboy boots and the Montana silver belt buckle that he was so proud of. This is where he met his partner in crime, Michelle. After turning him down several times, she agreed to go on a date with him. Well, the rest is history, and they have two sons that Bill was always so proud of – his legacy.

Bill worked away from home most recently with Secure Energy close to 90% of the year and when he landed back in Calgary his agenda was full helping others, fixing equipment, pouring concrete and being project manager on the construction of many bars in Calgary. He was always busy but had time to call and check in on all his friends and family. And who knew Bill was a baker! His black forest cake was mouth-watering.

His favourite time was having his buddy Greg pick him up every night he was in Calgary, with Jack in the back seat (they co-parented as Bill could not take him to camps) to head to Tim Horton’s for coffee, then the next morning their daily trip to Princess Auto. They all knew him and loved him there. Who else brought them coffee every time he entered the store.

Bill is predeceased by his grandparents Ann (Theo) Dunn, and William (Bertha) Fullerton. He is survived by his sons Ashton and Evan (Katie), and grandchildren Kyrie, Cayde & Declan, his former wife and mother of his children Michelle, mom Patricia Ellen Fullerton (Dunn), his father William Arthur Fullerton, brother Robert Arthur Fullerton (Suzanne) and niece JoAnne, Margaret (Peggy) Fullerton and her children Tiffany Ellen, Carinna, DJ, and foster brother Keith Eddy.

These are just some of the things that Billy was about that those of you reading this may not know. He was kind, compassionate, generous and just an all-around fantastic guy. He will be missed but not forgotten. We have beautiful memories of why Bill was put in our lives and nobody can take that away. Bill’s light shone bright and was extinguished much too soon. Don’t cry because he is gone… smile because he was here.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Billy on Sunday May 5th, 2024 from noon to 3:00pm at Ranchmen’s Cookhouse & Dancehall, 9615 Macleod Trail S, Calgary.
Please RSVP to Michelle at billswakexx@gmail.com by April 11th, 2024 if you are attending.