Obituary of Bill Kondro

On the morning of March 2, 2021, husband, father, grandfather and long-time community figure and leader, William (Bill) Kondro passed away peacefully after a brief period in the Maidstone hospital . Bill will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 58 years, Ruth and his children Mark, Dawn and Heath. Bill will also fondly be remembered by his two grandchildren Russell & Kelsey and siblings Shelia & Willard. Predeceased by his parents Mathew and Martha and his daughter in-law Laura.

Bill moved to Lloydminster from the Yorkton area in 1949. After completion of his pharmacy degree in 1962, he started the next chapter in his life working for Bob Bayton before becoming a partner in Moxley Drugs with Earl Ingram and Doug Aston. With the building of the mall, he opened Western Drug Mart, later called Value Drug Mart. Until its sale in 1985, Value Drug Mart was the largest independent pharmacy between Winnipeg and Vancouver.  Any time of day, any day of the year, if the phone rang at home for something anyone needed, he was there to do whatever it took to get someone their medication.  During these times of business growth and expansion, he still found the time to serve as Chair on committees to get the Communiplex built as well as the Russ Robertson Arena. He was an active member of the local Kinsmen club for many years and Governor for the province of Saskatchewan in 1973.

After selling his store, Bill moved into several new roles, but always maintained his connection to the community. He was mayor of Lloydminster from 1982 to 1987. Few knew of the many meetings/trips to Vegreville and other places to meet with Don Mazankowski, Bill McKnight and others to help get the Bi-Provincial Upgrader and the Lloydminster Lakeland College campus built. Or it could have been his hard work to ensure that Highway 16 did not bypass Lloydminster and all the businesses that relied on the bi-provincial traffic. Nothing was ever done for recognition, only to make Lloydminster a better place. After leaving City Hall, he was the General Manager of Lloydminster and Area Community Futures until his retirement in 2010.  He proudly served several terms as the Chairman of Lakeland College board, having the new Business school wing named in his honour.  Bill was the general manager of the Jr. A Blazers, working countless smoky bingos and going up and down the bleachers in the Civic Centre selling 50/50 tickets and providing a warm bed for any wayward hockey player coming through chasing his dreams. His hard work allowed the Canadian Cowboys Countdown Rodeo to stay in Lloyd for several years longer than anticipated. Of the many boards he served on, he was very proud of his work with the Alberta Labour Relations Board, serving for more than 27 years. 

Family was never forgotten as it was the most important thing in his life, even for someone who put so much work and effort into his community.  Sunday mornings in the house were filled with the music of Jim Reeves or Don Williams and catching the Expos or Oilers score from the day before. As recently as last summer, there was still time to spend with family up at the cabin at Little Fishing Lake; as so many of us know, there’s always time for the cabin. After a day of hard work around the cabin or spending hours towing countless water-skiers behind the boat, a quiet night by a smoky fire pit and listening to the Saturday Night Dance Party on Saskatoon radio was one of the simple things that he always loved. He was always teased about all smoke and no fire, but maybe that was his goal so he could have a bit of solitude after a long, loud day. There was no distance too great for Bill to drive so he could spend time with his grandchildren. His special time was taking his grandchildren to the Saturday afternoon movies. There was no limit to what he would do to ensure the entire family had a wonderful Christmas or holiday. Among trips to Europe, Southeast Asia, South America; his many winter holidays in Hawaii were his favourite. Bill had a love for animals and in his retirement, he loved spending time with his dog and visiting with neighbours while out for walks wearing his trusty red and yellow Kodak touque.

Due to the current restrictions, a Celebration of Life in memory of Bill will be held at a later date.

Our family would like to thank everyone for their kindness and request that any donations be made to Canadian Alzheimer’s Society or Lloydminster & District SPCA or Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation.

Bill's memorial card can be viewed or downloaded from the link below.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/ecb400bf-41c1-4585-b54a-b53cfde2cbef