REED, Donald Alexander
July 31, 1938 – June 26, 2017
It is with deep sadness that we announce that Don passed away peacefully on Monday, June 26th with his loving family at his side. He will be dearly missed by Margaret, his wife of 55 years, and his daughters Keeran (Ian) Wagner and Kelly (Tony) Woolf and their children, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Don loved life and lived it to the fullest. In spite of his many illnesses, he fought hard every day to get better – he never gave up. He was very successful in his work and became a Senior Vice President at the Bank of Nova Scotia. Outside of his life at home and work, he was very involved with The Rotary Club and the Aerospace Museum and loved his time spent curling, doing photography and exploring history.
A Celebration of Don’s Life will be held Wednesday July 5th, 2017 at 2:00 pm at St. Andrew’s United Church (128 1 St E, Cochrane, AB).
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The War Amps (www.waramps.ca or call 1-800-250-3030) or to a charity of your choice.
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I met Don approximately five years ago when I joined the Rotary Club of Cochrane. Over time Don and I became close friends. He was an outstanding Rotarian, rarely missing weekly meetings and practicing Rotary’s motto of Service above Self, as he engaged in Community Service activities even when he was in poor health. Don was our club’s honorary 50/50 gate keeper. As such, many members of our club will smile when they hear, “Too bad, so sad”, words of condolence uttered by Don to those individuals who failed to win our weekly 50/50 draw.
Don was a compassionate person, who took a sincere interest in those less fortunate in our society. Don was so well informed when it came to history, politics and current events. We spent endless hours solving the problems of the world. And what a sense of humour. His stories were always replete with clever witticisms. Recently I had the good fortune of spending the day with Don, enjoying breakfast, lunch and great conversation. I learned so much about Don’s past on this occasion. A moment that I shall never forget.
I shall miss you Don.
Dear Margaret,Keenan ,Kelly and all of the family.
I am sorry to hear of Don’s passing,Ruth had told me he was having some health issues.It is so hard to see someone you love sick ,and you can’t do anything except love them.
My love to all,and thinking about you.
Take Care ,love Eleanor.
I joined the Rotary Club of Cochrane in 2011 and one of the first members I met was Don. He was running the 50 /50 and if I didn’t have the correct change I would certainly hear about it. Over the years we developed a routine. I’d say “Hi Don” and he’s say “How’s it going”, then I’d say “Pretty good” and Don would say “What does that mean?” and I’d have to give a number out of 10. Many meetings I’d sit next to Don. He had an incredible empathy for people and was a huge part of the club. I’ll miss Don and I’ll miss our weekly greeting.
To: Margaret Reed and the family
Jessie and I moved to Cochrane about 10 years ago and met Don and Margaret shortly after we moved. Don was always a good neighbor and we are sorry to hear of his passing.
Our deepest sympathy to the family.
God bless Don and rest in peace.
From your neighbors: Roger and Jessie Piro
Margaret and family,
We were saddened to hear of Don’s passing.
I first met Don when we worked together in Halifax in 1965 and our paths crossed again in Toronto and Saskatoon. I always found Don to be loyal, trustworthy and dedicated. He will be missed.
Our deepest sympathy to you and your family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Lee and Sharon Mapplebeck
I met Don in the 1980’s in Toronto at Scotiabank. He was a very enthusiastic banker and loved what he was doing.
I was sorry to hear of his passing.
He will be deeply missed by family and his many friends.
John & Arlene Young
We first met Margaret & Don when they came to live in Toronto and moved onto the same street. We have enjoyed many long years of friendship. We visited them when they lived in Saskatoon, Vancouver, Cochrane and vacationed with them in Sidney, Tofino and Caribbean cruise. Such wonderful memories and so much fun. We saw their two lovely daughters, Kieran and Kelly grow up into beautiful young women. We so admired Don for his broad knowledge of world events. He was truly a very interesting man.
Our thoughts are with Margaret, Kieran, Kelly and family. He will be deeply missed.
Love,
Ted & Ruth Johnson
I was fortunate to work for..but more correctly with..Don at Scotiabank. He made a huge impact on my life.
He was the most unique person to be a leader of five thousand employees at a bank at that time. He was creative and talked of inspiring historical individuals. He focused on strategies and being connected to staff members, leading and not telling.
He could talk tough, but could never ever be tough. He was kind to a fault. He talked so often of the inherent strengths in individuals and looked for ways to bring out the best in people.
He could regale all( and bless you, Don, over- regale sometimes!) with historical analogies. Yes, he had the gift of the gab. He also had passion and love for airplanes and his dad’s role in training, for books, for Canada ( he was fond of the country song ” I’ve been everywhere man!”… and he had!) ..and most of all, his family.
You were a people focused leader, Don, before the bank even knew they were needed. You made a positive difference in many, many lives. Who could ask more of a man?
My deepest condolences to Margaret and family and friends.
I am deeply saddened to learn of Don’s passing.A true gentleman and a very dedicated and capable and caring banker.I was fortunate to have worked with Don for several years,and indeed I have always been indebted to Don for keeping me in the bank when I tried to resign in 1965.He refused my letter saying,”you know,they are not making 1956 models anymore,(the year I joined the bank) we need you.”
To you Margaret & Family,deepest condolences from Ed & Eleanor Mac Nevin
I got to know Don at our rotary meetings but even more so at our coffee sessions after the meetings. I will certainly miss his statistics on many current and past events. I was out of town at the time of his passing, therefore as yet my sincere condolences to Margaret and family
Dear Margaret,
we are so sad that we have lost our neighbour. We have always had such a harmonious relationship with both of you. Over the years we played bridge and golf with you and it was always fun. Our deepest sympathy to you and your family. Our thoughts are with you.
Ursula and Dieter