Donald Armstrong Boyd

October 9,1931-January 23,2021

Oscar Wilde’s quote, “Be yourself, everyone else is taken”, neatly describes Don Boyd’s life. Growing up in the Marpole area, near his beloved Fraser River, Don was a lanky young man; fond of good natured pranks and possessed of a boisterous laugh. A few anecdotes illustrate this unique man’s, joie de vivre. To wit, as a teen, Don was known to stroll about his neighbourhood with a pet rooster perched on his shoulder. One can only imagine, why he elected to trade the rooster for a wooden row boat. The mind can fill in the blanks. The row boat featured frequently thereafter; being used on one occasion to ferry a load of pears from Sea Island, packed to it’s gunnels, after a favourite aunt, requested he pick some fruit for her to can!

After high school at Magee, Don dreamed about becoming a commercial pilot. But as many in the post war period, the need to find steady work, led him to join MacMillan Bloedel. For the next 20 plus years he worked shifts at Red Band cutting cedar shingles. Despite this high risk labour, he transitioned into be-coming the purchasing and stores manager at the White Pine Division with all 10 fingers intact.

In his late teens Don took up down hill skiing and met his bride to be, Marg Nelson. Their romance quickly blossomed, until when he turned 21, they wed producing 3 wonderful children, (Sandra, Gary and Janet). One (Janet) came 12 years after the first two and she is happy for the miracle! An interesting tid-bit, reflecting Don’s strong moral compass was the story of the young couple spending a ski night at Don’s cabin on Hollyburn mountain, with his soon to be “betrothed”(Marg), sleeping indoors, while he caught brief snatches of sleep in the icy cold outside, under the floor boards. Skiing then, was different from now, as exampled by his kid’s recollections of side-stepping up the hill without poles, only to slide back down before finally graduating to the “tow rope”. Ski clothing was also different back then. No more clearly demonstrated, than the time Don fell, tearing the seat out of his cloth ski pants! He spent the rest of ski day in the car while Gary and Janet carried on.

With married life, Don displayed a herculean energy, working shifts, maintaining two large properties in Burnaby, and raising his family with Marg. He loved weekend summer commutes, to their trailer parked in beautiful locations around BC. Countless enjoyable hours were spent water skiing, fishing and hanging out on the Shuswap, Cultus, Hornby and the Sunshine coast, with Marg, the kids and many friends. Don's continued love of boating was a feature through the years. His first speed boat the “Hot Mist” was stolen after an unfortunate episode. He never again lent his toys. Don bought other boats and enjoyed BC’s fresh and salt waters for many years. The miracle child (Janet), learned to water ski behind the “Dreaded Evinrude”. An outboard that had gone through, one or two, too many of Don’s rebuilds. The outboard was want to occasionally “ burp”, stall, and come back to full throttle in a flash…Needless to say, Janet’s shoulders have never been the same.

In later midlife, as his children became adults, Don developed a “holiday-side hustle”; cutting cedar shin-gles for a friend at the north tip of Vancouver island. This additional effort helped carve financial security

for him to be able to comfortably retire at 65 and enjoy a fruitful time, completing passion projects. He was a craft artist, repairman, builder, mechanic and genius.

Don had an uncanny ability to do “any job”. He spent countless hours in his shops, of projects, often fix-ing broken down lawn mowers and power equipment for his dear neighbours. A consummate conversa-tionalist, who loved to chat, he also has a large contingent on neighbours who until his last couple of years he gabbed with in the front street and alley.

And not to leave out his two beloved grandkids. During the 1960’s and 70’s ice cream vans would often sound their music in the Burnaby neighbourhood. As a child of the depression, Don never allowed his own children to waste money, buying “commercial” popsicles. Instead, they were to enjoy Marg’s excel-lent home made varieties! Fast forward to the grandkids in the 1990’s and as soon as van’s musical notes made their way into the neighbourhood, Don would sprint to buy his two little babes what ever they wanted!

A final favourite tale Don loved to relate, was how he traveled through Whistler in the 1960’s, towing the house trailer, on a rough gravel road, and seeing signs for acreage for sale! Always practical, he won-dered, why on earth would anyone buy land on a dusty mountain road? Of course, after telling the story of his missed opportunity, bellicose laughter would ensue. We will always remember Don for his wry sense of humour, his ability to enjoy BC’s bounties and his hearty laugh.