Thinking of you - Don was such a sweet person and as a kid, I knew him to be kind, fun, and a gift to spend time with. Sending love to Liz and Blair and the whole fam. XO, Eden

I'm very saddened to hear of Don Purser's passing.  He was one of the kindest and generous guys I've ever met.  I first met Don some forty-seven years ago when I first joined Global Television as a fellow news cameraman.  He was welcoming from the get go.  We quickly became friends and soon shared the same passion for golf.  I recall Don and Elizabeth's wedding day in 1980.  The two of them were cut from the same cloth given their warm, affectionate personalities.  You were always welcomed in Don and Elizabeth's home.  There was always a lot going on there and their hospitality extended to some that needed a place to stay for a while.  He definitely was a charmer and always made everyone feel at ease.  I haven't seen much of Don in the last few years but I will always cherish many enjoyable memories whether working together at a car race or golfing in a charitable tournament.  Don, you will be missed by many.

Don you are not to be forgotten! 
 To many positive memories and laughs shared, and as my EPK mentor. Don was considerate to his craft and to pay it
forward. Don lead on his own a group of independent electronic camera operators.  Taking inbound calls to represent a pool of freelancers to place owner operator's and Electronic DOPs to service days of CPAC , Events, Staged Music, Live Sports, News and Industrial content. This was prior to our IATSE 667 having category of EPK/ENG DOP. Don was head of the board for union category EPK and lead there forward growing and helping our camera local become more. We appreciate and won’t forget you Don! You are in our thoughts and greatly missed.

"Lobster bisque in a can? I don't think so."

Millenial new years eve,liz and i beat the pants of the boys!

At the cottage you rented, bruce penninsula circa '91

So many years. 20 together in Toronto/Hamilton especially. Your family is part of my family. Loss extraordinary. So so sorry.

So many wonderful memories with Don. I remember we were driving to a shoot once and he put in a CD and said « you have to hear this ». That day was the first time I heard Alanis Morissette.
Don is also the reason I joined IATSE 30 years ago. 
I could go on and on. 
My heart is heavy and my thoughts are with Elizabeth, Blair and all of their family.
Rest in peace Don.

What a gift it was to have known you.  Every memory of you was a kind one.  The last time Tom and I saw you your last words to us were "Take care of each other".  No priest, no Buddhist, no pretentious therapist, no yoga instructor could have said it better.  Thank you.  Thank you for your example.  You were one of the nicest men I ever met, and in a society plagued with  selfish assholes I respected you so much for it.  Thank you for your sweetness and your gentle wisdom.  The world is a better place because you were in it.

Our late brother Greg and Don. I introduced Don to my sister Elizabeth and we remained great friends.  He started me on my massive pig collection and added to it on every occasion. We shared many laughs (and lots of wine) over the years. I will miss him deeply and remember him with love. xoxo

Very sad day for not only Liz and Blair. But the whole immediate family. Don was clearly an important part of their lives.
And then all his friends whether they played golf or not. Then their are the rest of us who worked with Don as fellow cameramen and camerawomen.
I was lucky enough to be one of small group of camera guys who Lawrence Partington hired to cover alot of car racing we called ourselves "the dirty dozen" after filming car racing for the day we would find a  go kart track and give er.
Don was usually out in front of the rest of us.
But it was all in good fun .did I mention cold beverages .? We had not talked for awhile but would try to catch up and when we did ,car racing would always enter into the conversation.
I will miss Don and those chats.
One in a million kinda guy ♡♡

Don was a second Dad to me... much like Liz is a second Mum. I spent so much of my adolescents with the Purser's. I, along with the myriad of friends of Morgan and Blair were always so cared for, and we always knew their home was a safe space for all of us. Don will be missed so greatly for always being so warm and welcoming. I could always count on a BIG hug whenever I saw him. 
All my love,

Mhairi

OBITUARY

Donald Frederick Purser

May 13, 1952 – April 9, 2026

Markey-Dermody Funeral Home

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