Willie was born on April 30, 1933 in Marjanowka, Poland. He was the second youngest son of Heinrich and Lydia Hanelt. Willie鈥檚 father and two brothers, Ernest and Gustav died during the Second World War. Lydia and her four sons, Emil, Karl, Wilhelm and Rudolf came to Canada in 1949 and settled in the Benson area.聽
Being born deaf did not keep Willie from enjoying the company of others and working on the farm. Their uncle, Gus Hartenberger, wanted to send Karl and Willie to attend school for the deaf in Saskatoon, however, both young men felt it was more important to stay around home and pick stones for various farmers to earn money for the family.
Willie and Karl were very opposite in personalities as with Willie there was no chance for 鈥済rass to grow under his feet鈥�. Whatever had to be done was completed now where in by 6:00 a.m. Willie was in the field cultivating to get as much done in a day as possible. Willie had a passion for cattle and accompanied Rudy to many sales and buying bulls over the years. He instinctively could recognize a worthy animal. He also enjoyed gardening and tended to the flowers around the house. Willie hauled grain away from the combine during harvest and kept track of the number of loads hauled each day. In later years, Willie enjoyed riding the ATV to keep up with what was happening in the area near and sometimes further away. Their last dog, Duchess, was his constant outdoor companion. She could be found walking alongside Willie in the field or on the lease roads.
In December of 2010, Karl and Willie moved into Creighton Lodge in Estevan. Willie spent some of his time during the summer helping to tend to the flower beds.
Wilhelm was predeceased by his parents, Heinrich and Lydia Hanelt and brothers, Ernest, Gustav, Emil, Karl and Rudolf. He is survived by his sister-in-law Joan Hanelt and several cousins.
The Funeral Service was held on Thursday, November 17, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Hall Funeral Services, Estevan, with Elizabeth Goodson officiating. Interment followed at Woodley Cromar Cemetery.
A special thanks to Shelly Veroba for giving extra attention to Karl and Willie after they moved to Creighton Lodge, and to Claude Mercier and Garry Hoffart, who through their friendship, helped with the transition from the farm to city living. Shelly played a bigger part in Willie's life after Karl's passing and I am ever thankful for her generosity in taking time to tend to his needs. I wish to extend a thank you to the staff and residents at Creighton Lodge, the Home Care workers and Dr. Hakan Pehlivan. Also to Hall Funeral Services, United Church Minister Elizabeth Goodson and all who joined with the family to remember Wilhelm Hanelt, thank you ever so much. In appreciation, a special thank you to the pallbearers, Len Ferchoff, Larry Andries, Claude Mercier, Parry Phillips, David Hoffort and Kevin Wilhelm.
Those wishing to make donations in Willie鈥檚 memory may do so to the Creighton Lodge Trust, 1028 Hillcrest Drive, Estevan, SK, S4A 1Y7.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Hall Funeral Services, Estevan.
