Don passed away peacefully on May 21, 2020 at the age of 85 years. Don is survived by his sons Andrew (Abigail Aimes) and Bruce (Carol Collinge), and grandchildren Grace and Eve. Don was predeceased by his wife (Marion), parents (Bob and Muriel), and brother (Keith).
Don was born and raised in Gravenhurst, Ontario and attended Queen’s University (Arts ’57). A career in industrial relations and human resource management brought Don and his family from Toronto to Calgary in 1980, where he gradually retired in the early 1990’s. After an initial retirement period based in the Gravenhurst area, Don and Marion relocated to Victoria in 2006 where they remained.
Don was a thoughtful and generous man with many friends and loved ones. He enjoyed sports. He enjoyed reading. He was active in his Church. He adored his grandchildren. Don’s family would like to thank the staff at Victoria Hospice for their extraordinary care and kindness. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the hospice https://victoriahospice.org or a charity of personal choice would be appreciated.
A Celebration of Don’s Life will be held at a later date, when circumstances better allow for a gathering of family and friends.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
22 Responses
Dear Bruce, Andrew and families
Don was such a presence in his soft kind of way. I fondly remember a summer in Gravenhurst over60 years ago, marvelling at the humour and support provided by Don and Keith. Robin and I enjoyed our visits with Don over the last few years on our sporadic trips from Vancouver to Victoria. A truly kind, honest, and thoughtful man who will be missed.
Love from
David and Robin Whetter
We were so sad to hear of Don’s passing. We will remember him as a lovely gentleman.
May he rest in peace
Rose and Kenny
Dear Bruce, Andrew and family,
My sincere condolences on the passing of your father.
Kind regards,
Nicola Cowan
Sweden
Lots of happy memories of your visits to Scotland.
Sadly missed.
Eleanor
Daar Bruce, Andrew and family,
My heartfelt condolences with the loss of uncle Don.
May your memories of him give you peace and comfort.
Kind regards,
Scot Cowan
Netherlands
Dear Andrew and Bruce and families,
I am a first cousin to your Dad, Don and remember him with great affection. He brought Marion to meet my parents and me when they became engaged. Don was a happy, respectful person who was loved by his cousins as Marion became part of our family.
I talked to him after Marion died and he had certainly lost the love of his life but was well looked after by his sons. I will always remember how happy I felt after talking to him and respected his values and integrity. Weren’t we lucky to have had him in our lives.
Susan
My sincere condolences on the death of a kind and gentle man, and a good neighbour. I lived next door to Don at his condo in Victoria.
Don was truly a wonderful man. We had the cottage next door to Don and Marion in Muskoka for many years and, although we stopped being cottage neighbours quite a while ago, I still think often of how fortunate I was to have known them both. For me, Don was a friendly, kind and thoughtful role model.
My most sincere condolences to the family.
Fred Cass
It was with great sadness that I read in the Globe and Mail the obituary on Donald’s passing.
Don and I were at Queens together and we both lived in Collins House for a couple of years and kept up our friendship intermittently over the years here in Calgary and at various Queens alumni reunions.
I always considered him a close friend over the years even when our contacts were few and far between.
He was in my mind a reliable and stalwart friend
My sincerest condolences to the family
The news of Don’s passing has made it through the grapevine to those of us who worked with him years ago at TPF&C. I met Don 35 years ago as a recent university grad arriving in the consulting office for my first “real job”. He was a wonderful mentor and calming force in a busy office, always bringing his humour and kindness. His intelligent thoughts and beautiful handwriting flowed on the page. I still remember him telling me that on business trips, he would stuff pillows behind his back so he could still sleep without Marion beside him. When we were on a business trip, and I reported to him after a post-lunch pit stop that I needed to go to a drugstore, he flushed, and said sheepishly “OK”, and then I told him I had ripped my pantyhose. I’ll never forget his big laugh when he exclaimed “well don’t pull them up like they are hockey socks!” Years later, he was happy for me when I married a co-worker. I’m so glad Wayne and I were able to have a long conversation with him a few years ago as we planned a TPF&C re-union. Please let us know when there will be a celebration of Don’s life. Rest in Peace Don. You were a much loved and fondly remembered colleague. Donna and Wayne