Obituary of Bill Beattie

In Loving Memory of William Hope Beattie

William Hope Beattie, fondly known as Bill, was born May 5^th1936, at his Uncle Bob and Aunt Bessie’s home in Hudson’s Hope, BC. William Hope was born the 8^th and final child to his parents Elizabeth Hausch and James Walker Beattie, coming quickly on the heels of his “big” twin brother and best friend James Hudson (Jim). Fortunately for James Senior, his brother and wife were there to assist him and Elizabeth in their twins’ safe arrival.

Bill and Jim were welcomed into the glorious Peace Region by a homestead brimming with doting older siblings in birth order: Toulie (Lousie), Girlie (Mary), Clarice, Bobby (Robert), Olive, and Ruth. The Beattie kids grew great grit, building Gold Bar Cattle Ranch with their parents at Twenty Mile, located 20 miles up the Peace River from the canyon now known as Dinosaur Lake.

When Bill was seven, his parents enrolled him, Jim and Ruth at Notre Dame Catholic Boarding School in Dawson Creek in pursuit of higher education. The kids found this experience to be less than inviting; before long they were very homesick and ready to return home. Their father retrieved them at first chance and hired a tutor to educate them in the comfort and familiarity of the valley ranch and their family. In time, the boys travelled to Hudson’s Hope and stayed with Girlie and Penn to attend school. However, the blessing of the natural life came with its fair share of challenges. Bill’s father past on in 1948 when the boys were 11 years young. This very significant loss for the Beattie family, naturally brought the boys home from school to help their mother run the ranch fulltime.

Consequently, the boys worked very hard as children in the mighty Peace Valley and rugged landscape surrounding their ranch. They did it all. Grew vegetables and forage, raised cattle, preserved food, hunted, fished, guided, portaged and ran a rations supply post with their mother Elizabeth. Many trappers stopped in to get their yearly supplies on the journey to their trapline cabins. Bill described it as a hard but exciting and rewarding lifestyle; he expressed gratitude for the cherished memories and many strong bonds it forged along the way.

After establishing a productive ranch with his family, Bill grew to be a valuable contributor to notable exploration and development in the Peace Region. Bill’s first paying jobs were shoveling and hauling grain, working in coal mines, and cutting firewood with George Ross to fire boilers on oil rigs. In his teens, Bill and the Vince boys guided crews of geologists through the mountains with a team of pack horses. Ambitious as he was, Bill returned home to buy himself a brand-new saddle; eager to make it pay him back in a hurry.

1968 abruptly ended a profoundly formative era and way of life for the Beatties. Gold Bar Ranch was burned down and flooded in its peaceful resting place under Williston Lake. Bill’s self-reliance in extreme environments prepared him well to move forward. He purchased a hunting territory and trapline on the Graham River and established Bill Beattie Guide & Outfitters, where he lived and worked with his wife Bernada York (Bernie). Many hunters came from far and wide, seeking the exhilarating experience of hunting record class mountain sheep, goat, caribou, moose, and bear in the breathtaking scenery of the Graham River Valley. Bill’s hunters were thoroughly satisfied with the comforts of the impressively appointed establishment and upmost hospitality of the Beattie Crew. They returned home spreading good news of their success, gaining Bill Beattie Guide & Outfitters legendary status among its many clients and guests.

The end of the 1970’s closed another meaningful chapter in Bill’s life, when he sold his territory and retired his outfitting days. The 1980’s blossomed with new blessings of a farm in Baldonnel with his second wife Cindy Powell and their children Lanna and Ross, bringing the gifts of fatherhood, family and country living.

In 1987, the Beatties sold the Baldonnel farm and moved to Matthew’s Park in Fort St John. Bill had a lot of valuable outfitter gear, and the move made for a lot less space. Luckily, his longtime friend, Bill Bouffioux was kind enough to site Bill’s outfitting sheds at his ranch. This arrangement conveniently afforded the two Bills a lot of good times catching up, celebrating and carrying on as they liked to do since childhood. During these years, Bill and Ross loved to pack up their bed rolls for adventure and visiting. They’d often head to Jim and Mary Lou’s cabin at 12 Mile for weekend excursions and to the Stewarts to drive cattle and feast on strawberries.

While busy raising children, Bill honed his skills as a heavy equipment operator. He ventured to the Yukon diamond mines for work, where his colleagues nicknamed him “Bill the Cat, Hoe Operator Extraordinaire.”  Bill finished out his working days building leases and pipelines for D.Lowen and Macro Industries in Fort St John. Eventually, he was joined by a young Ross learning the ropes and was tickled to be paid to train and work alongside his son.

Happy to return home to Hudson’s Hope in 1995, Bill purchased land and established his acreage and home with the helping hands of many friends and family. Bill always greeted his guests at the door with a smile and an offering of coffee or vodka, depending on the hour. Year after year, he took great pride in maintaining his “weed-free” garden and “prime-moisture” root cellar for mass production and storage of heaps and heaps of perfect potatoes, year-round. During these years, Bill also enjoyed life out at the Halfway with his partner Sharon McLean, breaking land and exploring the vast landscape together on horseback.

Bill’s golden years were blessed with 5 grandchildren. He relished in keeping up with their interests, achievements and antics; and he loved to hop in Ross’ truck for a road trip to catch a hockey game. The kids were a highlight of his later life, and they were very lucky to have such an excitedly engaged Poppy.

Bill was a life-long adventure-seeker who always led his younger crew, opening up for them incredible places to explore. Well into his 80’s, Bill continued to hunt with his kids and grandkids, fish at Marcy & Gary’s Black Rock, and skidoo into Trimble Lake with Arlene & Lenard. He never quit touring Williston Lake, hunting wolves and ice fishing with his nephews and cousins. Bill valued and maintained strong relationships, bonded in good and hard times with his siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends his whole life long.

Bill remained fiercely independent, living on his beloved acreage in Hudson’s Hope, admiring the wildlife he cherished so dearly until he was 90 years young. This was possible thanks to the unwavering support of his sister Ruth and a crew of nephews and great nephews, accompanied by a whole lot of determination on his part. Bill spent his last Christmas at home with his daughter Lanna caring for him. Although a very challenging experience, Bill met the last leg of his journey with the same grit and determination he carried though life and he spent his final days reminiscing with beloved friends and family.  On June 13^th2026, the mountains called Bill home and he passed on in the Fort St John hospital with his best friend and son Ross, by his side.

Bill is predeceased by his father James Walker Beattie, mother Elizabeth Hausch, sisters Toulie, Girlie, Clarice, Olive and brothers Bobby and Jim. Bill is survived and fondly remembered by his sister Ruth, sisters in law Mary Lou and Ethel, daughter Lanna (Danica & Kingston); son Ross (Juel, Manning, Coeplin & Britton), as well as many cousins, nieces, nephews and lifelong friends.