Lorne Gordon McDonald

Lorne will always be remembered by his wife, Linda Elder, his daughter Diana McDonald and grandson Bailey Clark, sisters Frances Zimmerman and Danese McDonald, and many nieces, nephews, and friends.  He is predeceased by his father, Hugh McDonald, his mother Violet McDonald (nee Bindley), and brothers Ron, Bud, Glen, and Alan.

Born Feb 24, 1944 in North Vancouver, Lorne lost his dad to illness at the age of two, and his family was plunged into hardship thereafter, but he learned soon enough that there were fish in the creek and shells on the beach for those who were resourceful.  He grew up mostly in Nanoose Bay under the tutelage of his sisters, to whom he was forever grateful. 

At the age of 15, he went to work on the log booms.  It was dangerous work so about the time he was starting his family, he began the process of getting certified as a welder and fabricator.  If you drive around The Mainland, Vancouver Island, Revelstoke or Haida Gwaii, you may see bridges or buildings that Lorne helped to build.  He also worked in logging camps, shipyards, and from the back of his own welding truck.  A proud member of Steelworkers of America, he worked hard, and also fought hard for workers’ rights, having come up through a time when “safety” was less regulated and “lunch break” was not part of the contract.

“There is no such thing as can’t,” Lorne would always say, “if it looks impossible, it just takes a little longer.”  In this bent, he taught himself to build all manner of shelters, from stables to shipping container homes to our house upon a rock in Nanoose Bay.  Lorne never bought what he could build, and never built what he could not pay for, one brick at a time. 

Lorne was an early riser.  If you asked him to call you in the morning, your phone would ring at 4am, guaranteed.   Answer it, and what you would hear is, “That’ll be your phone ….”  He loved to talk more than anything, and he often spent hours on coffee and talk before breakfast.

Lorne always had a special relationship with animals. He kept a tub of bread ends and pan drippings in the fridge for the crows, he had sunflower seeds for Mr Squirrel, and he never went anywhere without his dog.  Over the years, our house, dubbed The Big Dog House, was home to Two Bits, Winston, Ben, Bandit n Pooshka, Maple, and Tito, all rescue dogs.

When Lorne retired, he bought a Greyhound bus and converted it into a camper.  This took us to the Yukon, to the Mojave Desert, all around British Columbia and on an epic journey across Canada to explore his father’s childhood home on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

Lorne had three daughters: Laura, Marie, and Diana, from his first marriage.  In the last two years of his life, he had the great joy and privilege of becoming reacquainted with Diana and her son, Bailey. 

Altogether, it was a life well lived - fiercely independent, and independently fierce. 

Rest well our dear one.  You are loved and missed.