The man credited with helping bolster a modern Kamloops North Shore is being remembered as a builder, a father and a man driven to do more.

Bill Bilton Sr., the man who helped develop Bachelor Heights, as well as Whitecroft, The Dunes golf course and many other projects in the region, passed away last week.

His son, Bill Bilton Jr., says his father played a significant role in shaping how he lives his own life.

“The thing I take away is going to be totally different [from] what some people in the community and other friends take away. The mentor part of it for me, personally, has been with my golf, instill good values and morals and ethics,” said Bilton Jr. in an interview with Radio NL.

Bilton Jr. says his father was driven to succeed.

“What are we going to do next. There’s no sitting around. There’s no wasting time. Just always thinking. That creative imaginative mind that he had.  That was his passion was, ‘what can I do next.'”

On top of his work as a developer and realtor, Bill Bilton Sr. was also a founding member of the local chapter of the Canadian Home Builders Association.

“Our hearts break after hearing about the passing of Bill Bilton. Bill was one of the 12 members who started our local association, and played a vital role in shaping the residential industry in Kamloops–a passionate advocate, and most of all, a beloved friend, husband and father,” said the CHBA Central Interior in a post on Facebook.  “We send our most sincere condolences to his family and friends. You’ll be dearly missed, Bill.”

Bill Bilton Sr. was 80.