Donald Arthur Cyr

Born on December 28th, 1936, he was the son of the late Philias and the late Mildred (Hickey) Cyr. He is survived by his son Gilbert (Cecile), daughters Jeannette (Kevin), Tanya (Pierre) and Carma (Lorne), his brother Raymond Cyr (Rita) of Barrie, ON as well as his cherished grandchildren: Cara, Kassia, Karlee, Braelyn, Isabella, Joey and Alex and six great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by sisters Charlotte Scott, Hilda Annunziata, Marchetta (Kit) Cyr and brothers Claude (Buck) Cyr and Jack Cyr.

As a young man, Donnie followed in the footsteps of his older brothers Buck, Jack, and Raymond, and became a prominent Maritime hockey figure during the “golden era” of hockey. He played on the 1954–55 Campbellton Juvenile Cubs team who were inducted into Campbellton’s Sports Hall of Fame for being the first New Brunswick Juvenile team to win a Maritime hockey championship. He had major-league caliber talent and was invited to attend the elite Quebec Citadelles Junior A training camp, which was closely watched by NHL scouts. He played alongside his older brother Raymond, who he proudly watched go on to have a professional hockey career. Donnie returned home to play as a power forward for various teams such as the Campbellton Tigers. In addition to his longstanding love of hockey, Donnie dedicated nearly 30 years of hard work at the Atholville mill (Fraser) where he earned a deep respect from his colleagues.

Donnie—belovedly known as Papa—led his life with an integrity and humor that, despite his dementia diagnosis, never wavered. Papa’s memory will remain in the hearts of his family and friends who were honored to have had the privilege of loving him.

The family wishes to express their deepest gratitude for the exceptional care provided to Donnie by his caregivers, Sadie and Carlyn Thériault. There are not enough words to express the family’s appreciation for the attention, respect, and love that they both demonstrated.

The family will hold a private graveside service to say their final goodbyes.