William, Ivor as known by all, was born Good Friday April 18, 1930 on the family farm. He was the 8th child of William Carl and Elizabeth (nee Hanowski) Tank. Ivor was baptized in Killaly, received his first communion and was confirmed at St. Henry’s Church in Melville. He attended Wallacetown School until grade 8, 2½ miles away from the farm, which he travelled mostly on horseback or bike.

Ivor enjoyed the farm, raising ducks on the big slough and had a love for horses. In 1951 he showed a horse at the Melville fair that he had raised and trained himself and won a ribbon for horsemanship. At the age of 29, Ivor took over the family farm from his father, William Carl, who homesteaded in 1903 at age 18. He had brought a single bottom plow up from the United States, which plowed his first 30 acres. Violet had painted the plow for the Century Farm Award in 2003 and had it displayed with its original colours. Ivor played softball as a 3rd baseman with the Wallacetown Wild Cats and played in many tournaments. He worked as a bartender at the King George Hotel from 1961 to 1963.

On July 6, 1960, at St. Mary’s Church in Grayson, Ivor married Violet Mary Kreiser, whom he had met while he was a patient recovering from knee surgery at St. Peter’s Hospital when Violet tended to him while working as a nurse’s aid. Ivor and Violet were blessed with children, Donna Marie and William (Bill) Lawrence, as well as Annette who had died in infancy. Ivor’s passion for horses continues when both Donna and Bill joined 4-H and he was a leader for 5 years. Together they took in numerous fairs over the years in Yorkton and Abernethy, winning ribbons and trophies. Ivor himself won a ribbon at the Abernethy fair in 1981. Ivor also placed 1st in Melville for pole bending and taking the horses to Melville parade was always a must!

Besides grain farming, they raised milk cows, sheep and a few goats. For a hobby Ivor raised exotic birds, with the help of his family. He displayed his birds in various marked cages for Old McDonald’s Farm at Yorkton Fair for years. Many hours were spent through the years babysitting, playing games, making noodles and hanging out, often at the Dairy Queen, with his granddaughters Kimberly and Kelly. They put on dinner theatres, dancing and singing for Violet and Ivor; they were very special to him. Sunday afternoons were spent trail riding on horseback and meeting up with the neighbours. Ivor enjoyed travelling, visiting friends and relatives along the way. They travelled to Ontario, taking in Niagara Falls, British Columbia to Butchart Gardens in Victoria and the Vancouver Expo in 1986. They also travelled through Yellowstone National Park and to West Edmonton Mall. A very memorable trip was when he took his family to Calgary for the Stampede, and a highlight of their travelling was a trip to the Bahamas with his wife in 1999.

When Ivor’s health failed he took up some gardening but mostly enjoyed cooking, making cabbage rolls and baking bread using his bread maker. It was a special day when his grandson arrived on March 16, 2006, William Daniel – William IV. He enjoyed when Daniel showed him all the dinosaurs on his iPad and named them all.

Ivor leaves to mourn his passing his wife of 54 years, Violet; his daughter Donna and husband Ken, granddaughters Kimberly and Kelly (husband Scott); his son William (Bill) and his grandson William (Daniel) and Bill’s three adopted children Jennifer, Chelsea, and Brendon; his sister Evelyn Kellett; his brother Paul (Ethel); his brothers-in-law Jacob Kreiser and Lawrence (Deborah) Kreiser; his sisters-in-law Sister Teresa Kreiser and Ella Krieser; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father William (Carl) in 1963 and his mother Elizabeth in 1967; infant daughter Annette in 1970; granddaughter Kathleen Bucsis in 1994; brother Karl and sisters Alvina, Elsie, Ida and Olga; brothers-in-law John Young, Bob Knoof, Pete Gorecki, Phil Stein, George Kellett, Jim Stewart, Adam Rieger, Ed Young, John Kreiser and Adam Kreiser and sisters-in-law Eva Tank, Elliss Kreiser and Elsie Kreiser.