Donald Roderick McKenzie

Don was born in Brandon, MB on May 6, 1928, one of the eight children in the family of D. G. McKenzie and Katie B. Cole. He was the last survivor of that family. Both McKenzie and Cole families were descended from early homestead settlers in the Brandon area.

As a young boy Don moved with his family to Winnipeg where he completed his education and lived for most of his life.

In 1949, he married Eleanor Stewart the only child of Harold E. Stewart and Olive Stewart, Their marriage was blessed with three sons Robert (Margot), Bruce (Marcia) and Scott. As well, five grandchildren Kristy, Pam and Gregor, Erin and Colin are left to mourn the passing of their grandfather.

As the Second World War ended, Don began business career in the farm equipment industry. In 1947, he joined the Cockshutt Farm Equipment Company. Over the next 24 years he advanced through various management positions to become the senior company officer in Canada as Vice President and General Manager at corporate headquarters in Brantford, ON. By this time control of the company belonged to White Motor Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio. As they acquired other farm machinery companies it became Don’s duty to design the plan for merging the Canadian sales and distribution organizations of the Cockshutt Company, the Oliver Corporation and the Minneapolis Moline Company into White Farm Equipment of Canada Ltd. as a division of White Motor Corporation, Cleveland, OH. The model for achieving this in Canada was later adopted in the USA to merge their companies.

Rather than move to the USA, Don left the farm equipment industry in 1971 to join the automotive parts industry. After acquiring several auto parts companies other the next few years, Consolidated Parts Distributions of Canada Ltd. was formed and by 1980 the Company had grown to become the major national distributor headquartered in Winnipeg and with eleven distribution warehouses across Canada from Halifax, NS to Victoria BC.

During these years Don served on the boards of the Automotive Industries Association of Canada, Ottawa and the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association, Kansa City, Kansas. In 1985, at a national convention, the Automotive Industries Association of Canada recognized Don as the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for the Industry in Canada.

Sports have been a major interest throughout Don’s life and as a young man played football, hockey and baseball and was five times on provincial champion teams. His interest in sports continued into coaching and managing in minor sports and through fifteen years (1971-1989) on the board and the management committee of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Don has always been very proud of his Scottish heritage. He and Eleanor were lifetime members of the Clan MacKenzie Society of Scotland and members of the Clan MacKenzie Society of Canada, since his retirement Don has done extensive research on the McKenzie and the Stewart Clans genealogy tracing their ancestry back into the 1600 and 1700’s in Scotland. He has written two booklets for his extended family members on the subject.

Don and Eleanor travelled to many places in the world including Europe, Great Britain, Asia, Central America, and South America as well as cruising to many destinations. But for Don his most favourite place was the cottage on Lake of the Woods and for many winters their home at Dock on the Bay, Longboat Key, Florida, with family and friends.

Don was a member of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg West for more than 50 years and was a Paul Harris Fellow. At his request, cremation has taken place and a private family memorial service will take place at a later date.

The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to the staff at the Shaftesbury Retirement Residence and Palliative Care Manitoba.

If anyone so wishes, donations in his memory may be made to the Golden Rainbow Fund, the permeant endowment fund of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg West (administered by the Winnipeg Foundation) c/o Ernie Halligan, Chambers, Fraser & Co., 201-1874 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3J 0H2.