DONALD SPIERS

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DONALD SPIERS November 6, 1921 - June 1, 2003 At his home in Lindenwood Manor my darling husband, loving father, grandpa and great-grandpa left us peacefully to be with his Lord and Saviour on June 1, 2003. Don is survived and will be missed immensely by his devoted wife of 59 years, Dorothy (Pierce) his children, David (Laura), Doug (Irene), Bob (Maureen), Gord (Cheryl), John (Leslie) and daughter DAnne Hansen (Rick). Dons love and dedication to family was never more evident than in 1962 when he and Dorothy, without hesitation, accepted the responsibility of raising five nieces and nephews following a tragic car accident which claimed the life of their parents (Beatrice and Gordon Barss) and one child (Valerie). This extended family, consisting of Beverly Laurence, Jim Barss (Pat), Patricia Barss and Barbara Seavers (Mike), became as much his children as his own and their love for him was a reward he cherished dearly. Charles Barss predeceased Dad in 1976. His brothers, Jim Spiers and George Harrison and sisters, Dorothy Giese, Beatrice Armstrong and Evelyn Jenken also survive Don. His 27 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren were his absolute treasures and a plaque in his home clearly said it all, "If I Had Known Having Grandchildren Would Be So Much Fun, I would Have Had Them First:. The grandchildren, Heather (Paul), Shannon (Trevor), Daniel, Chris (Cindy), Jeff, Kelly, Kim, Debbie (Jason), Tom (Kate), Matthew, Andrea, Carly, Colleen (Roger), Kristen (Jonny), Erin, Lisa, Sarah, Richard, Tyler, Dylan, Kevin, Jenna, Sean, Nicole, Michael, Tim and Colleen (Laurence) and great-grandchildren, Riley, Jayme, Sidney, Simon and Levi were blessed to have had their grandpa and will cherish his memory. Don was predeceased by his parents David and Georgina; stepfather Harry Harrison and one infant daughter Darlene in 1957. Donald was born in Oak Lake, MB on November 6, 1921. He served his country during the Second World War by enlisting in the R.C.A.F. in 1941 receiving his honourable discharge at the wars conclusion in 1945. During this time he received a letter from a young Winnipeg girl, the content of which caught his fancy resulting in an arranged meeting while on leave at the home of the young girls parents, Rev. Gordon and Clara Pierce. The rest, of course, is history as the young girl was Dorothy E. Pierce and they were married on February 17, 1944. Following the war, British American Oil and Imperial Oil employed Dad prior to joining the Winnipeg Fire Department, which he served proudly for 37 years. Many times Dad referred to his camaraderie with his fellow firefighters to be like family and he considered their association an honour and privilege. He retired in 1986 having achieved the rank of District Chief and enjoyed 16 years of well deserved retirement which involved travelling to many parts of Canada and the United States pulling his 5th Wheel behind his ton Ford. He would complain about his mileage in later years as an excuse to stay closer to home and family and although he was always close to his children, it seems as each new grandchild came along his desire to remain close to home became stronger and stronger. Although Dad was a definite land lover and clearly not an avid fisherman, he looked forward to the Spiers Annual Fishing Trip when his "Boys", including sons, sons-in-law and grandsons, would make their trek to various lakes for a long weekend of just being together. The fishing, crib tournaments, joke telling and abundance of food hold memories that will live forever and we know he will be sitting on the shore by the dock waiting for his boys to return safely from fishing in the years to come. The annual fishing trophy bearing your name will be cherished as no other...we all love you "Captain" Don. Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 5 at 7:00 p.m. at Chapel Lawn Funeral Home, 4000 Portage Ave. On Friday, June 6 a graveside service will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. at Chapel Lawn with Rev. Erhard Buss officiating, followed by a celebration of Dons life at 1:00 p.m. at Immanuel Pentecostal Church, 955 Wilkes Ave. with Rev. Erhard Buss and Chaplain Rick Cieciwa officiating. A reception will follow in the church auditorium. Active pallbearers - Chris Spiers, Jeff Spiers, Tom Spiers, Matthew Spiers, Richard Hansen and Jonny Loewen. Honorary pallbearers - Noel Jasper, Charlie Sutherland, Wray Bone, Alf Papson, Elmer Sly, Ronald Hagglund and Daniel Spiers. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Firefighters Burn Fund, 202 - 666 St. James St., R3G 3J6 Arrangements entrusted to: CHAPEL LAWN FUNERAL HOME CEMETERY AND CREMATORIUM 885-9715

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 04, 2003