File photo of past interview with Bill Abley (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

BILL ABLEY

Legacy of lifelong volunteer, educator chugs along with 2141 locomotive

Dec 27, 2019 | 4:59 PM

KAMLOOPS — One of the many community pillars who helped make Kamloops a tourist destination has died.

Bill Abley was 72 years old when he passed away December 19, after decades of volunteer work within Kamloops.

Abley was one of the core group of local train enthusiasts and volunteers who got the historic 2141 locomotive back on the tracks.

“He was never mechanically inclined, and we always laugh about that,” says Andrew Abley, Bill Abley’s son. “But he’d do whatever he could for the train, and he was very meticulous with the books, and he wanted to make sure it was done right.”

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In the 1990s the 2141 Steam Locomotive Restoration Society fought hard to get the train out of Riverside Park, and keep it in Kamloops instead of sending it to Alberta.

Bill Abley fought to make sure the 2141 steam locomotive could make it back on the rails within Kamloops. (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

Kamloops Heritage Railway Society past-president Mark McVittie says Bill Abley was one of the passionate members who eventually saw the train restored and running once more.

“You know, he loved the train and wanted to make sure the train was operable for future generations, and just quietly went about and did the work that had to be done in order to see that happen.”

The dedicated volunteer played a huge role in having the train fixed up to its former glory, and McVittie says Abley spent years making sure the 2141 was a successful tourist attraction.

“Really the first couple of years were quite difficult (for the society). I mean we being train nuts, we all kind of thought everybody would flock to it. but not everybody is like us. It took someone like Bill, and Howard, and Bud, and a few other people that really had to keep us all going and get us through the tough times to make sure that we’re around.”

Abley’s community-minded approach spread throughout Kamloops with his work as a principal within School District 73. According to McVittie, the educator in him also saw the learning potential in the locomotive.

“He would always make sure that the schools would come down on tours or for Heritage Fair,” McVittie explains. “And lots of times students would want to do a Heritage Fair project, and he would always be one of the first ones there to invite kids in on a special private tour, and show them what the locomotive was all about.”

While his passions included history and shaping young minds, Abley’s time with family was never placed on a back burner to his volunteering and work endeavours.

Andrew Abley is one of three children survived by Bill, alongside seven grandchildren.

“For me, he was a mentor, he was a coach, he was way more. I used to call him my hero because he was. He was way more than just a dad.”

Upon retirement from the School District, his son says Abley became a marriage commissioner, and married about 250 couples within the Kamloops area. Andrew says the family has been hearing tributes from various people around the city after word of his father’s passing got around.

“We’ve had past students from different schools that (say) he had changed their lives, we’ve had couples just sharing memories from different events, of course all of the School District has been involved again just sharing qualities and different reflections on what he’d done, and then of course the 2141 — a lot of the people from there.”

The last several years were not easy for Abley — with his wife dying of cancer, prior to him suffering a stroke a couple of years ago.

“He’s going to leave a huge, huge hole in our family,” Andrew says. “But we know he’s having Christmas with my mom and we’re quite happy with that.”

During hard times, the family held steadfast in their support, and while Abley’s volunteering was hindered, he was still able to be out in the community. Though Abley moved into assisted living after he lost much of his mobility, his family made sure to spend time with him every day, and kept up with shopping trips, and attending Blazers games together.

During those outings, and after his dad’s passing, the younger Abley says he has heard a lot about the legacy left behind.

“I don’t know if it’s embarrassing, but there was so much that he was involved in, and maybe not knowing every part of it,” his son explains. “And then having people from the community coming to you and sharing different stories and memories. It’s pretty powerful, and it’s a way of his memory continuing on.”

Bill Abley’s life will be celebrated at his church, Kamloops Alliance, next Friday at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the BC Heart and Stroke Foundation, or the Terry Fox Foundation.