Donald Leigh Warner

He and his two brothers Eddie and Neil grew up on 36th and Angus, along with parents Alice and Jud.

Dad went to Quilchena, then Point Grey and finishing high school at Prince of Wales.

Family life was spent helping his dad in his drug store, at 37th and West Blvd, the corner shop under the Leigh Block apartment. The Leigh block was built by Grandad Thomas Leigh, somewhat of an entrepreneur, he brought Irish linen to Canada. Dad had lots of stories of both grandads, the Leigh family on the Cora May, cruising up the coast, and Omar Warner’s journey to the gold rush in the late 1800’s. Many of you may remember the “Awful awful ice cream”, in dixie cups. Every tenth stick had a hole drilled into it, and you got a free one if you got one with a hole. Dad made the ice cream.

Dad has always been an avid sportsman. On his 9th birthday, he received a pair of skis. He and his friends taught themselves to ski on Quilchena golf course, racing over homemade jumps. He would take the street car to the foot of Main Street, ferry to North Van, another streetcar up Lonsdale as high as it would go, and then hike the old Skyline trail, to the Cut on Grouse. Eventually a group of friends rented an A frame cabin for $10/year. No rope tows or chair lifts back then, Dad had legs of iron.

Dad and best friend Ced Giles bought a star boat together, the “Serenade”. They sailed up and down the coast through the gulf islands, towing behind their dingy, aptly named the “Hoof Hearted”, got many laughs when they moored at the Royal Van Yacht Club. Dad had a real love for sailing. One day in early March in the 70’s, he went skiing in the morning, played 9 holes of golf, then went wind surfing, all on the same day.

Dad started in medical school at UBC and was in the first graduating class, He played varsity volleyball, football, and rugby. He met the lovely Shirley Lee Nascou at a frosh dance, who had been Dad’s good friend, John Boultbee’s date.

They met the next day, and eventually got married on August 24th, 1951, so began a 68-year marriage. Us three kids came along, Jud in 1953, Ann in 1955, and Matt in 1958. We had great family ski trips with family and friends, from Silver Star to Sun Valley to Steven’s Pass eventually ending up with a cabin at Whistler. Qualicum, Buccaneer Bay, Ruby Lake were spots Dad, and all of us loved to go.

Dad’s favourite trip was across Canada towing a tent trailer, to Expo 67 in Montreal. We came back across the Northern United States stopping in on Warner cousins along the way. We even went to Decewesville which is where the Warner family lived before heading to Vancouver in the early 1900’s.

We spent our summers up at Bluebird Bay resort in Kelowna. Dad swam, water-skied, golfed and played hours of tennis his 2nd favourite sport after skiing. Also visiting with the Nascou family in Williams Lake was a high-light.

After finishing his medical degree in 1954, Dad interned at St. Paul’s and Shaughnessy Hospitals, before ending up in Lions Gate. He was a GP and also an emergency doctor. He also obtained 3 post graduate degrees: Fellowship at the Canadian College for Family Practice, Certification of Family practice, and Certification in Emergency Medicine. Throughout his career, he held various positions: President of Medical Staff, Chief of Family Practice, and Chief of Staff. He tried to get smoking banned at Lions Gate Hospital.

He eventually retired from the hospital in 1998, but carried on working in clinics until he was 84. He stopped downhill and cross-country skiing when he was 89 because if he fell, he might not be able to play tennis, which he played until he was 95. He had a great bunch of tennis buds, Smitty, Archie and John to name a few, to keep him on his toes. When Dad finally gave up tennis, he could sometimes be found in the garage at home, hitting balls against the wall.

Dad had a special spot for his grandchildren, Matthew Smits and Rachel Warner, each in turn carving a special place in Dad’s heart. Then Matthew and Anne-Marie Kennedy got married, 2 great grandchildren came along. Roisin and Eoin. The interaction between them all will have lasting memories.

Prior to Dad’s illness, he was still out for his twice daily walks, stopping to pet all the dogs and chat to people along the way. After a short stay on the palliative care ward, Dad passed away on Sunday June 30th. The morning, he passed, the first thing he said to me was: “Where is Shirley? Why isn’t she here? Is she at home?” I gently told him that Mum passed away 5 years ago. He said, “that’s right, I’m ready now”. With Matt Warner, Matthew Smits and myself, we were with Dad to the end. Dad passed away on Sunday June 30th, 97 years ago, a life well lived, and loved by all of us.