Benny Wilhelm Obituary, Death – Benjamin Wilhelm, a resident of Drayton Valley, Alberta, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, May 2, 2020, at the age of 85 years. He is survived by his devoted wife of 64 years, Lillian, his three sons, Edward (Sheila), Robert (Karen), and Alvin (Karen), his grandchildren Jared, Colin (April), Robbie (Jacie), Tyson (Sarah Hodgson), Geoffrey, Tiffany, and Krystopher, as well as nine great grandchildren and one great great grandchild. He also leaves behind one great great grandchild. Benjamin is also survived by his sisters Elsie and Anita, as well as his brother George, and by a large number of his nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.
Ben’s parents, Gustav and Natile (née Ferchoff) Wilhelm, as well as his brothers and sisters, Robert, Herman, Alex, Robert, and Fredrick, as well as his sisters Thelma and Erna, passed away before him. Ben was born on December 24, 1934 in the community of Lampman, Saskatchewan, and he spent his childhood in the Woodley and Lampman areas of the province. In 1951, Ben first met Lillian Steark at the Tuberculosis Hospital located at Fort San Diego. Up 1955 he made the trip to Regina, Saskatchewan, where he found employment putting up gas lines. Both his career in radio and television repair and his marriage to Lillian began in 1956, the same year.
In the year 1957, the couple welcomed their first child, Edward, and Ben started working at Wilf’s Radio and TV in Estevan at the same time. Both Robert and Alvin were born in 1958, bringing the total number of children in their family to three. Ben established Ben’s Radio & TV in the year 1972. They relocated to Drayton Valley in 1983 so that he could begin working at Rex’s Radio & TV. He remained there until he retired from the field of radio and television repair in 1992.
Ben worked at Option Machine as a handyman from 1992 until 2008 or 2009, during which time he was responsible for cleaning the shop and fixing grinders. He also worked at Best Canadian, where he was responsible for doing repairs there. Fishing, watching football (he was a Rider fan till the end), baseball and hockey, and working with wood were some of Ben’s favorite hobbies. We shall miss having him around.