He was raised in Blackwell with his four siblings, in a small house on Dent Drive. He graduated as a nurses' aid and met Donna shortly afterwards while working at the Sarnia General Hospital. (They met on the psych ward. Don claimed Donna was a patient. Donna claimed she worked there. We shall leave this to the reader to ponder!) They married in 1966. He had moved onto welding by this time which was his lifelong career. He worked in many places including New Brunswick, Ontario, Alberta and finally retired from 20 years employment at the Port Alice Pulp Mill in British Columbia in 2007.
Don was known for his love of music and was a talented self-taught musician. His family and friends have fond memories of him playing guitar and performing classics like The Auctioneer and King of the Road. He was also quite the poet and left behind many poems cherished by his family. He was a gentle, kind man with a wonderful sense of humour. Don also loved cars. His family often heard about his dream of owning a silver satin Corvette which never came to fruition but he was the proud owner of a ‘69 Mustang in his early 20’s. As a young man, Don had always wanted a convertible so he decided to make his own. He used a cold chisel to remove the roof of his car, thus creating his beloved convertible! Speaking of his sense of humour, he would later hook up an electric current to the car to give those who came in contact with it a mild shock which amused him greatly. This is a story he would tell his children many times, always with a big smile and a good chuckle!
He was the devoted husband of Donna; cherished father to his children Donnie (Melissa), Rebecca (Garney), Steven (Jennie), Joe (Amy), Aynalem and Sentayehu; adored grandfather to Jared, Jonah, Jesse, Isabella, Mattias, Chloe, Christian, Felix, Bruno and Liliana; a loving brother of Lloyd (Pat), Bob (Joan), Sue (Dan) and in laws Carol, JoAnn (Dick), Bob, and Jane (Chris). Don will be remembered by many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents Beatrice and Lloyd and older brother Terry.
A Memorial Service is being held at 1pm on Saturday, February 27, 2021 at Don and Donna's home in Chilliwack. It will be livestreamed for those that cannot attend at: https://www.legacystreaming.com/dignity-chilliwack/
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