Businessman, community activist.
Born at Winnipeg on 15 February 1924, son of William John “Will” Speers (1884-1943) and Vera Claire Zink (1892-1984), great nephew of Robert James ”Jim” Speers, he attended the University of Manitoba and was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He graduated in 1947 with a BSc degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. In 1954, he founded Speers Petrochemicals Limited which he owned and operated until its sale in 1994.
On 19 June 1954, he married Elizabeth Jean Connal (1925-2015) at Peterborough, Ontario and they had a daughter and three sons. He was Chairman of the Children’s Aid Society of Winnipeg, a founding member of the United Way, Chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board, Chairman of the St. Stephen’s Broadway United Church, Chairman of The March of Dimes for the Society of Manitobans with Disabilities, and assisted with many other organizations and charities through his long-standing membership in the Rotary Club of Winnipeg.
He died at Winnipeg on 5 April 2017.
Death registration [William John Speers], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Engagement notices,” Winnipeg Free Press, 29 May 1954, page 19.
Obituary [Vera Claire Speers], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 January 1984, page 43.
Obituary [Elizabeth Jean Speers], Winnipeg Free Press, 2 January 2016.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 8 April 2017.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
This page was prepared by Melanie Geraghty and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 2 April 2021
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