I remember, quite well, standing in the school office of the school that I was teaching in, talking with my mom.  She said, “I’m getting married!” After some pause, I asked, “To who?”  A romance had been blossoming over bowls of soup that had completely slipped under my radar. 

Don has been a good companion for my mom.  He was wise, adventurous, tender and godly.  He also came with children who are fantastic and have become dearly loved siblings. 

Fran is pretty spunky but he could keep up to her…most of the time. 

He was so tolerant and patient.  When his hearing started to go, my mom would have to yell, “Don…Don!!” to get his attention and he would turn with a smile and say, “Yes, dear?” in a calm voice.

He never spoke an unkind word of anyone.  He was ever so kind and his reprimands were a simple, “Oh no, no, don’t”.

As a step-daughter I could always count on him for advice without the pressing of a strong opinion.  He took his wisdom for The Bible and his many life experiences.  

Don understood the power of prayer and took full advantage of it.  Fran and Don would spend every morning reading God’s word and praying.  Chances are they have prayed for you!

Don was an adventurous man who loved life.  He had been healthy for most of his life.  This rare, aggressive and unfortunately, untreatable pneumonia took his breath at a quick pace. 

Even though he knew that Jesus Christ had made a way for him to be in heaven and that his days were numbered, he wasn’t ready to finish life on earth as he had more adventures to take.  He understood the gift of life and was living it fully.  He wanted 10 more years to experience more of it. 

His life experiences and his voracious reading made him a very interesting person.  He was also very interested in so many things.  Most of us would have heard him say, “I find it very interesting…”, and then listen to an interesting fact of some person, place or thing.

He became interested in what interested us.  He was involved in our business at Wasaga Paintball, taking pictures, cooking food, husking corn.  He was interested in almost all of our excursions, especially our trips to the Dominican Republic, visiting the villages as well as enjoying the beach. 

Don found ways to connect to all the grandkids.  He was always eager to attend plays, concerts, games and impromptu back yard talent shows.  Always with his camera around his neck. 

Our kids have a Papa but Don was the only “Grandpa” our kids ever knew.  My dad died before I was even married.  Rob was a teenager then.  My brother Darryl’s birth dad died shortly after he was born.  If you are keeping track, yes, Don was Fran’s third husband and she has never been divorced. 

I talked with mom about the age difference before they married, cautioning her that she may be a widow again.  She had said, “It is better to have five good years together than none”.  They shared almost 19 terrific years together. 

So, we are here to celebrate the life of Don, a life well lived.  Yet, we mourn for our own selfishness as he was deeply loved and we were deeply loved by him.  We look forward to our reunion with him in heaven yet he has left a giant hole in our lives and he will be greatly missed.