WILLIAM ALLAN MCDONALD (BILL)

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WILLIAM ALLAN MCDONALD

In grief and admiration, we announce the death of William Allan McDonald on July 19, 2021. He was born July 10, 1943, in Winnipeg, MB.
He is survived by his brother James (Greta), nephew Colin (Lauren), niece Danica (David), and their families in Illinois, USA.
Bill was a learned and compassionate brother, cousin, uncle, and friend, who throughout his adult life, maintained both an industrious career and affinity for exploration. He earned his B.Sc. from the University of Manitoba in 1969. Bill worked from 1969 to 2002 at Great-West Life Assurance Company and LGM Graphics, where he estimated costs, oversaw financial processes, and expanded his education. In retirement, he kept active, in all senses of the word, taking daily walks, no matter how cold, in various parks around Winnipeg; morning swims from late spring through summer; and exercising body and mind with such frequent visits to the library that he joked about being barred for over-borrowing. Beyond his love of reading, Bill was an avid astronomer, as conversant in the novels of Virginia Woolf as the history of nuclear physics and celestial events. He was a proud member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and enjoyed participating in educational outreach programs, helping to make STEM subjects more widely accessible. He served more than 13 years on his condominium's Board of Directors, putting his financial acumen to especially good use as Board Treasurer. Though Bill often included awe-inspiring quotes from literary, philosophical, and even anthropological luminaries in his correspondence, his own insights and spirit of discovery will most assuredly live on in the hearts of many. As Bill once said, "Find someone to encourage. It will lift you up as well."
In keeping with his desire to teach, he left his body to the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba.
Flowers are gratefully declined; make a donation to your favourite charity in lieu.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 07, 2021