Good afternoon, Colleagued, today, I would like to celebrate the life of Billy Alfred Deneyoua. He was born on March 9, 1968, to Henry and Bella Deneyoua. He was one of eleven children in their family. Billy attended Thomas Simpson School and was one of the lucky ones who did not have to attend residential school. Billy was taught to hunt, trap, and set snares by dad. They would go out to their cabin for weeks at a time where they would trap and bring home furs.
When people spoke about Billy, they would always say that he was a hard worker who loved to be outdoors. In the summertime he would be seen mowing the lawn, harvesting and chopping wood for the fall and winter seasons. As well, you could see him in the evening or on weekends working on his 4wheeler. This was his mode of transportation to get around town and to get to work.
Billy worked for many years at Simpson Air with Ted and George. He was a fixture at the company. Passengers from the communities loved to chat and catch up with him. Billy was very happy with his sisters, or helpful with his sisters every year with their gardening. He would help them turn the soil, dig up the garden, sometimes he would help plant potatoes. In the fall time he enjoyed digging up fresh vegetables.
Billy loved his nieces and nephews as they were his own children. In return, they loved him so dearly. They appreciated that he would joke around with them, and he told them great stories. One of the stories was when two of his nieces saw his skidoo and try to start it. After a couple of pulls, it started and took off straight toward a tree. They could be heard saying Billy's gonna be mad, so they pulled and tugged on the machine until they finally managed to get it back to where they found it. They covered and hid the skidoo tracks and took off. A bit later, the girls ran into him, and he asked them why they bumped into the tree. Then he started to laugh about it. This was Billy always looking at the brighter side of things.
Billy was an amazing man who was understanding and when you needed a hand, he would be there for you. His family and friends are going to miss him. It is very hard to say goodbye to an amazing angel; they were lucky to have him in their life.
The family would like to thank everybody for their condolences and for coming out to say their final goodbyes. He is now with his parents and family members watching over the family, especially the young ones. He will be sadly missed.
