BILTON, Rendall Norman

With hearts full of love and deep gratitude for a life well lived, the family of Rendall Bilton share that he passed away peacefully in Groves Memorial Hospital on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, surrounded by his family, his favourite music, laughter and tears. For 66 years, Rendall was the much-loved husband and dance and shuffleboard partner of Myrna (Woods). He was the cherished father of Heather Major, Dianne Bilton-Gagné (Mario Gagné), Susan Griffiths and Gaye Bilton (Brent Everson) and the adored Pappy and master storyteller to his twelve grandchildren, Robert (Jocelyn), Bradley (Sylvia) and Michael (Cayla), Dominic, Erik (Newman) and Noah, Meggie (Tyler), Ben, Eden (Dean) and Dawson, Joel and Delaney (Ryan) and thirteen precious great-grandchildren. Rendall was born in Orton, Ontario, to Bernice (Watson) and Norman Bilton and moved to Belwood, his community for life, when he was eight. He is predeceased by his second parents, Elva and Clifford Woods, his dear sister and brother-in-law, Doreen and Ed White and his brother-in-law, Barry Turner. He will be deeply missed by his sister-in-law, Wanda Turner, his special nieces and nephews, Janeen Swackhammer (Brad), Mardell Miller (Doug), Renée Turner-Cole (Ron) and Mark Turner (Amy), and his honorary Swiss family, Charlotte Ritsch-Bader (Stefan), Moé and Charlène Ritsch and the extended Bader family. The undeniable common thread running through Rendall’s life was his devotion to family and community. He loved his family deeply and he demonstrated that daily. He also worked tirelessly for his community in a range of roles. Rendall was a proud dairy farmer and supportive neighbour. He was a lifelong member of St. John’s United Church in Belwood and a trustee until his passing. He was also an active Lions Club member and past president, a baseball coach, a West Garafraxa Council member, a Pine Meadows co-worker for twenty years, a founding member of the Centre Wellington Shuffleboard Club, a past president of the Ontario Shuffleboard Association, and an active community member in N. Fort Myers, Florida for more than thirty years. As a member of the Canadian Shuffleboard Team and enthusiastic traveller, Rendall visited many corners of Canada, several European countries, China and Russia - always returning to Belwood. Beyond the defined roles he played, Rendall was a lifelong and loyal farmer of relationships. He cultivated those friendships with the care and intention that he tended the fields of Ellcliff Dairy Farms where he raised his girls. After eight decades of caring, his broad circle included treasured childhood friends, his cousins, hockey teammates, fellow choir members, camping and fishing buddies, the dance party crowd, Lions Club members, his Florida friends, an international group of shuffleboard friends and his Pine Meadows neighbours. He loved them all. Rendall had such a colourful life because he found or created adventure everywhere. The backdrop of his adventures were as varied as their circumstances - ranging from the Orton creek, the Great Wall of China, the dentist’s office and the Dubai desert astride a camel. And all of these adventures would be relayed many, many times over the years, embellished with each retell, and delivered with the colourful, outrageous, often farm-related vocabulary unique to Rendall. He knew how to captivate an audience. Finally, Rendall’s life was a master class in appreciating the simple things we are gifted - a good pair of rubber boots, booming belly-laughs, a Leaf’s win, the satisfaction of hard work, lake swims, back-slapping hugs, a level campsite, a faithful dog and practically every butter tart ever baked. We will miss him terribly, but are so grateful he was ours. As a family, we would like to express our genuine gratitude for all of the compassionate care our father received from his phenomenal health care team over the years. We warmly invited all to join us to celebrate Dad’s life and share your stories with us during visitation on Wed. Oct. 28 from 4:00 to 7:00pm at Graham A. Giddy Funeral Home in Fergus. A funeral service will be held at St. John’s United Church in Belwood on Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 11:00am followed by fellowship and lunch. The immediate family will have a private good-bye at McKee Cemetery later in the day. Sincerely appreciated donations in Rendall’s memory may be made to St. John’s United Church in Belwood or the charity of your choice. Arrangements are entrusted to the Graham A. Giddy Funeral Home Ltd., 280 St. David Street South, Fergus, ON N1M 2L5, (519) 843-3100. Visit www.grahamgiddyfh.com for Rendall’s online memorial.