DAVID GRANT MCINTOSH

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DAVID GRANT MCINTOSH David Grant McIntosh passed away peacefully at his home on December 3, 2010. He is survived by his beloved wife, Diana, his sister Norma Ward of Edmonton, two sisters-in law - Betsy, of Winnipeg, and Peg of Pompano Beach, Florida, and by numerous nephews, nieces and cousins. He was predeceased by his sister, Isabel and his two brothers, William and George Lyall. Grant was born in Winnipeg, and attended Wolseley, Isaac Brock and Gordon Bell schools. He completed his grade 11 matriculation at the latter high school and went into Chartered Accountancy in 1942. His studies were interrupted when he volunteered for the Canadian Army in 1944. After training in Camp Shilo, he went overseas and was in a convoy in the middle of the Atlantic when the war in Europe ended. He maintained that a German spy had seen him go aboard the troop ship in Halifax, tapped out a message to Hitler that Grant was on his way over, and that Hitler, terrified by that news, shot himself. Grant continued his studies and became a C. A. in 1950. In October of that year he joined the international accounting firm of Price Waterhouse, in Maracaibo, Venezuela. After seven months in that city he was transferred to Caracas, where he worked for the next two years. He worked for Price Waterhouse in Calgary from 1953 to 1956 when he moved back to Winnipeg to work for Canadian National Railways. During his time in Calgary he met Diana Lowes, and in 1957 they were married - an achievement he savoured for over 50 years. In 1970 Grant left the CNR and went to the Gambles retail organization for about two years, after which he joined National Grain Limited, which was subsequently acquired by Cargill Limited. He worked for Cargill for 18 years until his retirement in 1990. During his years at Cargill he and George Lowe, the company Risk Manager, became close friends, and in retirement his continuing friendship with George was especially meaningful to him. Over the years Grant and Diana's life together included quite a bit of travelling. Their greatest vacation interest was in mountain rock-scrambling and hiking, and this they did many times in Switzerland, in Portugal and in the Canadian Rockies. Diana, being from Calgary, and having spent many summers in Banff as a child staying with her aunt Kate, was the spark plug for their mountaineering activities, and eventually hired a guide to get them to the top of some mountains. Their most spectacular adventures were in the Mount Assiniboine, Mount Robson and Yoho National Park areas. On one occasion they went with a guide from lake O'Hara to Abbott's Pass where they stayed overnight in the alpine hut before descending the spectacular Victoria glacier, through the death trap to Lake Louise. Throughout their many wonderfully happy years together, beyond their fascinating vacation experiences, was Diana's development as an international pianist/composer/per-formance artist. Grant supported her fully. Her performance career even took them to Nairobi, Kenya, in October 2002, where they were given a safari in the world-famous Masai Mara, including a spectacular hot air balloon safari. Grant apologizes for not including in this scintillating report the many fascinating events that took place in his life since he wrote this in June, 2007! From infancy Grant was brought up in the Christian Science faith, and he remained a dedicated and active member of the church in Winnipeg, serving in many offices. He requested that there be no public memorial service on his passing. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra would be appreciated.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 11, 2010