Obituary of William McDonald

William (Bill) McDonald Bill passed away peacefully in the Dr. Cooke Extended Care Centre on the evening of Saturday, February 25, 2006 at the age of 87 years. He was born on the family farm on June 12, 1918 to local settlers William and Ellen McDonald, this being the 100th year of the original McDonald farm. Bill is survived by his loving wife Muriel; Diane and her husband Terry Dmytrash and their children Ian and Andrea; Gordon and his wife Jennifer and their daughter Trina; Glenn and his wife Darlene and their sons Duncan and Stetson; sister-in-law Audrey MacDonald; brother-in-law Bill Meiklejohn and his wife Joan; several nephews, nieces, cousins and great nephews, nieces and cousins. The funeral service to honor Bill’s life was conducted from the Marwayne Community Hall on Thursday, March 2, 2006 at 2:00 P.M. with Reverend Bob Aldrich and Reverend Harold Martin officiating. Son-in-law Terry gave the eulogy. A neighbor Shelly Johnson sang a solo “One Day At A Time.” Bill’s favorite song “Danny Boy” was sung and accompanied by the Alex McDonald family. Joanne Horton accompanied “There’ll Be Peace In The Valley,” on piano. The recessional was “The Best of Scottish Pipers & Drums” playing “Amazing Grace.” Honorary pallbearers were Gordon and Elva Hancock, Jack and Pauline Tyner, Bob and Sylvia Milne, Bud and Marg Miller, Joyce Katzmarzyk, Hilda Peterson, Dorothy Cooke and Glenn Weir. Active pallbearers were Gordon MacDonald, Glenn MacDonald, Terry Dmytrash, Ian Dmytrash, Duncan MacDonald and Stetson MacDonald. Interment in the Marwayne Cemetery was followed by lunch in the Hall, which was prepared by the Marwayne Royal Purple. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster administered the funeral arrangements. Bill grew up on the family farm and attended Bellcamp School east of Marwayne. In the early years his life-long values of hard work, honesty and love of family and friends were formed and he cherished the many memories. Bill married Muriel Meiklejohn on October 22, 1947. They retired from farming in 1984 and built a house in Marwayne but Bill could still be seen driving out to the farm daily to check on crops, chores and grandchildren. He always said, “Once a farmer, always a farmer.” Bill had a deep love and concern for his community and belonged to many organizations. His family was extremely important to him. He was so proud of his grandchildren’s accomplishments, attending all school events, dance festivals and sports activities. We will all miss him dearly. Card of Thanks From our family, thank you so much to our community who gave so generously at this sad time. Thank you for the visits, hugs, phone calls, delicious food to the house, so many beautiful flowers and many, many cards and memorial donations. Thank you to Reverend Aldrich & Reverend Martin for your comforting words; Shelly Johnson for your solo; Joanne Horton for playing the piano; Bob, Barry, Patsy, Brian and Michelle for “Danny Boy” and Terry for giving the eulogy. To the Sisters of the Royal Purple, thank you for preparing lunch for so many. Thank you to the boy’s hockey teams for helping with the tables and chairs and for your support. Thanks to the great staff at the Dr. Cooke for their care and compassion these last two years and a special thanks to Dr. Sayeed for his many years of care and friendship to Bill. A very special thanks to all Bill’s friends and relatives for the many visits and for all the goodies brought to him while in the Dr. Cooke. He so appreciated everything. Thank you sincerely to the staff at McCaw’s for your thoughtfulness and compassion at this difficult time. In lieu of personal thank you’s a donation has been given to the Dr. Cooke Extended Care and to the Parkinson’s Society. Love you all. Muriel & Family Donations in memory of Bill may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.