Donald Frederick Meleshko

He will be remembered by his wife, Edna; children: Isis, Kris, and Tristan; brothers Harold and David; and sisters Lynn and Kathy. He was predeceased by his parents, Fred and Lois.

Don had a silly and clever sense of humor that made life more fun. He loved jokes, wordplay, clever ideas, and the absurd. The number 42 being the answer to life, the universe, and everything absolutely delighted him. He was a fan of Monty Python. He sang “happy birthday” badly and loudly to make everyone laugh. Once, while shopping for furniture with his wife, he declared loudly and openly to the entire store that he was “looking for the cheapest couch,” much to her embarrassment. When asked why, he replied, “Now the salespeople will leave us alone.” He made witty remarks that might confuse you for a moment before you realized he was joking. When his daughter was shopping for her first car, he called to announce that he had found one that was “just like Mom’s car”. As it turned out… it was Mom’s car. He had bought her a new one and gifted the old one to his daughter.

He loved to read and learn; his favourite topics were ancient history, science, and space. Two of his favourite reads were Jabberwocky and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Always interested in what his kids were doing, when they were in university, he would seek out online articles related to their degrees to print and share with them. He also loved to teach and challenge them, while always being supportive of their independence. When they were growing up, he spent evenings teaching them math beyond their grade level. He taught his daughter Isis to drive using two different vehicles – one was a manual transmission, the other was a massive Lumina minivan, and she had to learn to parallel park both. He always made time for his kids, picking them up or driving them where they needed to go. One night he stayed up until 3 am to watch a meteor shower with his son on the garage roof; he pointed out shooting stars, Venus, and Jupiter, and showed him how to find the North Star.

Don loved to cook and treat his family to special meals, and made it his job to take care of holiday dinners. On a warm summer evening, he could often be found stationed in front of the barbeque, shirt unbuttoned, with a beer in hand. Nothing made him prouder than having secured T-bone steaks to grill up for his family. He would call everyone up, excitement clear in his voice, and say “Are you coming over for barbeque? I’m cooking t-bone steaks!”. He insisted on cooking by flavour rather than following a recipe. Some of his other signature dishes included chicken cordon bleu, omelettes, baking powder biscuits, holiday turkey (it was never dry), and Sunday pancake breakfasts.

He took immense pride and satisfaction in starting his own business and becoming self-employed, and was often found working in the office he set up in the basement. He bragged about gaining many clients through referrals, and would often report on who was coming over to pick up their tax return or how many he had delivered that day.

Don showed his love for his family in so many small, thoughtful ways. After the fall that ultimately took him from us, he revealed that he had been walking to the store to buy candy for his kids for Christmas.

A Funeral Service will be held at Hainstock’s Funeral Home at 9810 34 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB, on January 3, 2025 at 10:00 am.

The family wishes to send a special thank you to the staff at the University of Alberta Hospital for their care and compassion.