James "Bill" William Damant

With immense sadness, the family of James William “Bill” Damant announce his passing on September 6, 2025 at the age of 84 years. He spent his finals days at Taylor View Towers in Red Deer, Alberta.

We’ll love you forever; we’ll like you for always.

Bill is predeceased by his loving wife, Collene Lynne Damant, brother Alfred Thomas Damant, and sister Joyce Peck. He is survived by his son Ron (Sohee; sons Jacob and Ben) Damant; his daughter Deb (Peter; sons Matthew (Suzanne) and Aidan; daughter Kate) Singbeil; siblings Beth Hand and George Damant; as well as nieces, nephews, extended family, and many friends.

Bill was born to Beatrice (nee Reynolds) and Percy Damant in Bentley, Alberta on April 28th 1941. As an example of his mischievous sense of humor, Bill always claimed to have been “the most beautiful of babies”.

Bill grew up on the family farm south of Gull Lake. Over the years, he shared many happy memories of swimming in the lake, helping with chores on the farm, riding the family horse “Bud” to school at Woody Nook, etc. His first car, a fifties-era Chevy, is still there.

He and Lynne were first introduced by friends in April 1962. They married on October 12th that same year and then moved to Edmonton where Bill studied at NAIT to become a land surveyor. For the next few years, Bill and Lynne lived in a number of communities around north and central Alberta to accommodate his work. Around 1970, they settled permanently in Red Deer to raise their young family. They went on to spend the remainder of their 61 years of marriage there.

As a young man Bill excelled at a variety of sports, including baseball, curling, and hockey. He went fishing with his older brother Tom on a regular basis in those days.

As a surveyor who worked for both Alberta Transportation and the City of Red Deer, Bill helped build many roadways in the Province. Several of his projects are almost certainly visible from space!

Probably because of his training as a surveyor, Bill had the neatest of handwriting and printing and was amazingly good at math. He enjoyed drawing, woodworking, reading, playing cards and other board games, building puzzles, and general tinkering. He loved going back to the family farm and helped his older brother Tom with fall harvest on many occasions. Bill, Lynne, Ron, and Deb enjoyed many happy summer holidays at Radium Hot Springs.

Bill (and Lynne) took advantage of every opportunity to spend time with family. On several occasions, being a habitual early-riser, Bill showed up in Edmonton at 7 am after having driven from Red Deer, excited as a kid in a candy store, to pick up Deb and Ron during University holidays.

Following retirement, Bill and Lynne fully embraced one of their favorite pastimes, camping.  In a small van, they travelled to various campgrounds across Alberta and British Columbia. Rumor has it they made it as far south as California and as far west as Vancouver Island. One of their favorite spots was Fairmount Hot Springs. They also travelled to Oahu, Maui, and the Maritimes on their own and with family.

Eventually, Bill and Lynne purchased a fifth wheel and had a year-round site at Wolf Creek Campground where they often spent time with family and friends.  All five of their grandchildren have very special memories of those days.

From an early age and throughout his life, whether on foot, a bicycle, or driving in a vehicle, Bill loved to be outdoors. This quality made him particularly suited to his chosen career of surveying. It also provided him with countless hours of exercise, enjoyment, and quiet solitude. He was particularly observant, often noticing wildlife, geographic features, or artifacts that others would overlook. There wasn’t a single missing golf ball at Wolf Creek that escaped Bill’s keen eye.

Bill was a quiet but incredibly strong person. He has overcome many challenges with quiet dignity, resilience, and the never-wavering support of Lynne.

Since losing Lynne in 2023, Bill continued to carry-on bravely. He has done everything possible to make the best of life without her daily love and attention, and always had a wave and a smile for everyone he saw.

Bill has always loved to be with family and friends. Never an incredibly talkative guy, Bill had increased difficulties with communication over the last few years. Despite this, he listened along to conversations, smiled and laughed at jokes, and continued to play a mean hand of crib (he was known as the crib shark). He enjoyed spending time and reminiscing with his older sister Beth who also came to call Taylor View Towers home. Despite his health problems, it was clear his memory and sense of humor were very much intact.

Bill was loved by many and will be much missed by all.

A sincere and heartfelt thank you to every member of the wonderful team at Taylor View Towers who treated Bill as a family member and friend. In particular, thank you to Sheila who went above and beyond to engage Bill in recreational activities, walks around the facility, and much appreciated FaceTime calls to Ron and Deb every week.

Special thanks to Dr. Sandy Murray, Dr. Jo Ojadi, Dr. Morne Odendaal, and all the other Professionals who helped Bill with his health issues over the years.

A Celebration of Bill’s Life will be held at Wilson’s Funeral Chapel in Lacombe, Alberta on Friday, October 03, 2025 at 1:00 pm

This will be a time to remember and share memories with his loved ones and friends.

Donations in Bill’s memory can be made to the Red Deer Regional Hospital: https://www.rdrhfoundation.com/give or the charitable organization of your choice.

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