DOUGLAS DENNIS DITCHFIELD

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

DOUGLAS DENNIS DITCHFIELD Peacefully, surrounded by the people who meant the most to him - his family, Douglas Dennis Ditchfield passed away February 3, 2009 at Stonewall and District Health Centre. He was 75. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 49 years, Carita. He also leaves to celebrate his life son Glen (Helen Cameron); son Todd (Andrea); daughter Karen Wiecek (Paul); sister Shirley Muir (Jack); grandchildren Cameron, Ben and Amanda; sisters-in-law Vera Ditchfield, Sara Skinner, Roxanne Ireland and brother-in-law Gene Thorarinson (Sylvia); very special friends Barrie Lough and Linda McLean; and finally cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews too numerous to mention. He was predeceased by his parents Fred and Margaret Ditchfield, sister Eileen McLean and brother Fred Ditchfield. Doug was loved by many and he had many loves. His family was at the top of that list, but his loves, all of them simple, extended far beyond his immediate family to include, in no particular order: little kids, building houses (three), cats (despite allergies), dogs, sugar, discovering a new manure pile, shopping, rocks, Slurpees, washing dishes, convertibles, candy, finding a deal, soft drinks, new cars, doing laundry, hamburgers, puttering, ponds (but not frogs), puns, buying fresh bakery bread, digging in fresh earth (but not earthworms), limestone, dickering, good scotch, toys for kids, new trucks, toast, dark chocolate, his tractors, bleach, frozen treats, little red wagons, campfires, building anything, chicken, dating girls and socializing with friends/cousins/uncles in the late 40s and 50s, huskies, auctions, flowers in the house and marbles. Born in 1933 during the depths of the Depression, Doug learned the value of hard work from the earliest age. He left school at age 14 to work at the family business, Fred C. Ditchfield Co. landscape gardeners on Notre Dame, and was extremely proud even years later that he was making business deals as a teenager. He was also proud of the landscaping work he did all around Winnipeg and was at his happiest cutting sod in a field or hauling rock in a quarry. He loved selling Christmas trees and, after retiring, loved even more buying them, often purchasing two or three a year until he finally settled on one that was just right. There is greatness in even the most ordinary of lives and Doug's was surely great. He was a kindred spirit to children everywhere, never went anywhere without dog biscuits in his pocket and couldn't get out of a store without first getting to know the life, loves and heartbreaks of the clerk. A memorial service to celebrate the man and his life will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, February 6 at Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens, 4000 Portage Avenue. Doug loved flowers and animals, but he would want his love of animals to come first at this time. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in his name to the Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter, 3062 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, R3K 0Y1. The family would like to extend sincere thanks to Drs. Demsus and Lindenschmidt, nurses Melanie and Debbie and the staff of the chemotherapy department at Selkirk General Hospital. There will always be a special place in our hearts, as there was in Doug's, for the remarkable homecare nurses who cared for Doug with a tenderness that far exceeded their job descriptions: Chris, Laurie, Tanya, co-ordinators Michelle and Kathy, and the many others who helped. You became like family to Doug at a time he needed family most. Thank you. A good man, a great life, a grand inspiration.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 05, 2009