William "Noble" Monkman

It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of our beloved Noble - husband, father and grandfather.

Noble passed away peacefully after a short hospital stay and a loving tender goodbye from his wife Shirley at the Galloway Health Centre in Oxbow, Saskatchewan on Saturday, November 7, 2020 at the age of 90.

Noble was known and loved by many for his larger than life charismatic personality. He was an incredible dedicated father and husband. He will forever live on in the hearts of his wife, children, grandchildren and friends. This incredible man lovingly referred to as the “big boss” will be very deeply missed.

Noble was born on April 7th, 1930 at home on the farm between Elbow and Lareburn, Saskatchewan to Wallace and Mary Monkman. He was one of two children. He married the love of his life Shirley in 1963 and raised a family in Gull Lake, later on moving to Leduc, Alberta in 1978. Noble had a successful career in oil and gas starting in the 1950s. He was known for his intelligence & skill in the drilling sector leading him to a long successful career. He made many lasting friendships and was an incredible mentor to many. His career stretched between 2 provinces and 50 years. Starting from the bottom as a young man and eventually working his way up to being a drilling superintendent, and then a self-made consultant. He worked for Sedco Drilling, Westman, Polar and Brandt Wadeco, retiring in 2001. He did so having touched the lives of many along the way through great mentoring and his peers. He was always motivated and even dabbled in real estate and sales throughout his incredible career.

Like everything in life, his passions became ignited when he became a father. His children were the light of his life as was their mother. Noble also had an intense passion for sports of any kind - hockey taking the lead. Noble will always be known as the Edmonton Oilers biggest fan and hockey fanatic. His boys would eventually grow this passion beyond his wildest dreams! He coached every team he could and never missed a game with them. When it wasn’t hockey season you would find him coaching their baseball teams and prepping them to later go on to play junior hockey. Any other time you would find him filling the seats in a stadium with season tickets to the Oilers with his wife, friends or family.

Noble and Shirley had a loving beautiful marriage of 57 years in which they were blessed with 6 children - 3 girls from a previous relationship and 3 boys together. Life was always filled with great friends and family and so many great memories along the way, including his great big green thumb! He could grow anything! This always provided them with a lush garden of flowers and a bounty of good food. His two boys followed his footsteps successfully creating a path of their own in the oil and gas sector. His daughter Shelley became successful in business, Sylvia and Sherlynne creating their own successful path in the medical field. He was so proud of them all. It’s all he talked about in his later years. His profound conversation, always shared over a giant plate of bacon and eggs, will be missed the most.

Noble was gifted with a colossal personality. His hard work, dedication, passion for life and volunteering brought so much joy and changed the lives of many. He was loved immensely by his peers and discussed fondly by his mentees, as well as anyone fortunate enough to have met him. He was mostly known for his innate ability to problem solve, love fiercely and work in his sleep.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley; his children, Brian (Dalal), Sylvia (Reed Gibson), Shelley (Dale Faber), Sherlynne (Ken Best); sister, Mable Bernice Fiddler; niece, Valerie Fidler; ten grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren as well as other extended family.

He was predeceased by his parents, Wallace and Mary Monkman; his sons, Mark & Dean (Brooke); brother-in-law, Tiny Fiddler; nephews, Jamie and Bobby Fidler.

In keeping with Noble's wishes, a formal funeral service will not be held.

In lieu of flowers, if friends desire, donations can be directed to the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, 2180 Yonge Street, PO Box 770, Station K, Toronto, ON. M4P 2V8, The Bow Valley Villa, Box 207, Oxbow, SK. SOC 2BO, or the Oxbow Health Care Auxiliary, Box 268, Oxbow, SK. S0C 2B0.

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