DONALD N. WILSON

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DONALD N. WILSON Unexpectedly on Tuesday, March 7, 2006, while in Terre Haute, Indiana. Don is survived by his loving family: wife Leslie, of nearly 40 years; children, Glen (Renee), Keith (Tina) and Heather; grandchildren, Drew, Alexandra and Tyler; sister Jane (Don) Woods; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Linda and Robert Pettit; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents Norman and Hilda Wilson and sister Audrey Ryckman. Don was born in Hamilton and raised in Burlington, ON. He was very active in Boy Scouts throughout his youth, where he developed lasting friendships and fond memories of the camping trips. Although raised in an urban setting, his interest in farming and agriculture was not to be denied. He took summer jobs on farms in Ontario during his youth and ultimately pursued this interest by coming to Winnipeg to study agriculture at the University of Manitoba. Don met Leslie during his second year in Agriculture and, following graduation, they were married and decided to make Manitoba home. Initially, Don took a position with Feed Rite Mills where he worked for two years. He then started farming with Leslie's father, Evered Lawrence, and spent two winters teaching farm business management. He and Leslie later moved from Winnipeg to the R.M. of Rosser and Don accepted a position with Stanchem, managing agricultural chemicals and the potato sprout inhibition business. After several years with Stanchem, Don decided to form his own company, Wilson Storage Services Ltd., to work in the potato storage industry. The business initially focused on potato sprout inhibition but grew to include installation and servicing of storage ventilation systems as well. Although he primarily worked in the prairie provinces, his clientele extended from Thunder Bay to Vancouver. Don continued to farm with his father-in-law throughout this time and later farmed on his own when Evered retired. He strongly valued the relationships he developed while farming in the Lilyfield area and throughout the potato industry. In the last six years, Don first sold his business and later stopped farming. He started driving part-time in the trucking industry with New Hope Transport and then, in the last two years, drove full-time with Searcy Transportation. He and Leslie were looking forward to his gradual retirement and to increasing the time they could spend travelling together. Don's honesty and integrity and his easy, approachable manner won him many friends throughout all of his pursuits and activities. His love and respect for his family were central to his life. He had a warm and gentle approach to all aspects of life and his instinctive tenderness could always calm a person or animal in distress. His easy sense of humour also allowed him to take great joy in the lighter moments of life. Don will be greatly missed by those who had the pleasure to work with him or know him. He will be forever loved by his family, who will always treasure his memory and the influence he had on their lives. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 17 at Mackenzie Funeral Chapel, 433 Main Street, Stonewall with reception to follow. Memorial donations can be made to Association for Community Living, Interlake Branch Inc, Box 1222, Stonewall, R0C 2Z0. MacKenzie Funeral Home, Stonewall in care of arrangements.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 15, 2006