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William Bruce Parrish
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Business executive.
Born at Winnipeg on 8 May 1926, son of Frederick William Parrish and Vera Eileen Cadle (1900-1961), he attended Grosvenor School and Kelvin High School. In 1943, he began studying Agriculture at the University of Manitoba but soon left to enlist in the Canadian Army.
After his military discharge in 1946, he joined the family agricultural commodities firm of Parrish & Heimbecker, serving successively as Executive Vice-President (1961-1988), President (1988-2000), and Chairman (2000-2009). He was also a director of the Lake Shippers Clearance Association (1965-1989, President 1979-1984), Winnipeg Grain Exchange (Chairman, 1967-1968), Great Lakes Elevator Company Limited (?-?), Grain Insurance & Guarantee Company (1961-2002, Chairman 1984-2002), Modern Dairies Limited (c1965), and Monarch Life (1965-?).
On 14 July 1954, he married Donna Marie McInnes (1930-2024, daughter of John Stewart McInnes) and they subsequently had two sons and a daughter. The family lived in a home at 4701 Roblin Boulevard from 1954 to his death. They had a summer cottage on Mackies Island in Lake of the Woods where he was an enthusiastic sailor. Active in the community, he was Chairman of the Health Sciences Centre (1980-1984) and The Winnipeg Foundation (1993-1996), and President of the Manitoba Division of the Canadian Cancer Society (1965-1970) and Manitoba Club (1992). He served on the Board of Westminster United Church where he was a lifelong member.
In recognition of his community service, he was inducted into the Order of Canada (1995). He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Manitoba (1996), a City of Winnipeg Community Service Award (1997), a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), and a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).
He died at Winnipeg on 14 August 2026.
See also:
Manitoba Business: Parrish & Heimbecker
“Social & personal notes,” Winnipeg Tribune, 14 July 1954, page 15.
Obituary [Vera Eileen Parrish], Winnipeg Free Press, 10 June 1961, page 47.
“Monarch Life announcement,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 January 1965, page 2.
“Miller heads Man. Cancer Society,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 January 1965, page 30.
“New president [Manitoba Division of the Canadian Cancer Society],” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 November 1965, page 31.
“Clean life urged in cancer fight,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 January 1970, page 10.
“Parrish new HSC chairman,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 October 1980, page 7.
Grist for the Mill: My Life in the Grain Business by William B. Parrish, Kentville (Nova Scotia): Gaspereau Press Limited, 2009, 167 pages.
Obituary [Donna Marie Parrish], Winnipeg Free Press, 12 October 2024.
We thank Rob McInnes and Liz Prall for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 16 August 2026
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