DONALD JAY MCCULLOUGH

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DONALD JAY MCCULLOUGH Donald Jay McCullough, beloved husband, father, brother and uncle passed peacefully on June 28, 2005 at his home in Ladysmith, BC. Jay will be remembered for his wit, creativity, and, while sometimes unsolicited, honesty. Jay was born in Carman, MB on June 17, 1941 to Lyle and Ellen McCullough. His stories of swimming in the Boyne River and playing with his siblings, Elaine, Travis, Ildie and their many cousins were always family favourites. As Jay grew, so did his wanderlust. He travelled to Ottawa and became a radio operator. After completing his program, he received a position at the Winnipeg International Airport. When offered a position in Churchill (possibly the coldest place on earth), he declined, cashed out his pension, bought an Austin Healey Bug Eye Sprite and moved to Banff. Travel bug momentarily sated, Jay returned to Winnipeg and enrolled in the University of Manitoba. While working on his degree in Entomology, he met the most beautiful woman in the world - Lynda Plantje, daughter of Lou and Helen. Jay's relationship with Helen and Lou was one to be envied. They fed him on Sundays and Helen always made sure he had clean underwear on Monday. Lynda and Jay dated for the next several years and married in 1969. Jay and Lynda lived in Winnipeg for the first few years of their marriage before they purchased property near Selkirk, MB. The home created there was the site of family gatherings for years to come. Lynda and Jay's first child, Karen, was born on October 6, 1974. Robby was soon to follow on May 29, 1976. Jay and Lynda took pleasure in travelling and visited countries around the globe. Merely seeing the landmarks was not enough, however, Jay insisted on becoming immersed in the culture. He became proficient in Spanish and learned enough to get him into trouble in German, Italian and Thai. Jay also found great joy in music. Some of our fondest memories are of him playing guitar while we sang our hearts out. His greatest love was his family. I know that none of us will ever know a love quite as beautiful as the one we were blessed to have known through Jay. He will be missed by his wife, Lynda (nee Plantje); children, Karen and Robby (Monica); sister Elaine May (Jim), children, Krista (Michael), Kim, Kirby; sister Wilda Jane Noyce (Doug), children, Adam, Derek (Deanna) and Danielle; brother-in-law John (Penny), children, Jeff (Gayle) and Jill (Danny); and many friends. He was predeceased by his father Lyle; mother Ellen; and brother Travis, children Sheonagh (Chris), Michael (Linda), Dustin and Dianne. We will always love you, Dad. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jay's memory may be made to the BC Cancer Society. For he comes, the human child, To the waters and the wild With a faery hand in hand, From a world more full of weeping than he can understand - Yeats A Celebration of Donald's life will be held on Saturday, July 09, 2005 at 1:00 P.M. in the Ladysmith Eagles Hall, Ladysmith, BC. TELFORD'S MID-ISLAND MEMORIAL SERVICES 1-866-503-5553

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 03, 2005