Douglas Robert McDonald 1941-2021
I never heard him called by this name except when Aunty Gay was trying to keep him on the straight and narrow. On those occasions it was more like DOUGLAS ROBERT MCDONALD!!! He’d give a little sheepish grin but Aunty Gay and the rest of us knew full well her reprimand was in vain.
I knew this man as Uncle Doug. He was Janis’ uncle in fact.
As I remember Uncle Doug I am reminded of many things he taught me.
Uncle Doug was observant. My first recollection of meeting Uncle Doug was when I was seventeen years old, more than fifty years ago. Janis and I had just begun dating. It was up at Strathcona Lake on Vancouver Island on a family camping trip. I dropped in for the day. Janis & I borrowed Uncle Doug’s canoe and paddled far across the lake for some private ‘visiting time’. On our return Uncle Doug took me to the side and quietly informed me that he was keeping an eye on me… and showed me his giant binoculars. I know he’s kept an eye on me ever since.
Uncle Doug was brave. He taught me to take a chance when the time was right, quitting a sure thing to chase a business dream. With the support of Aunty Gay he ‘retired’ from his secure and well paying job in the local mill to start his own business, repairing and servicing recreational vehicles. Through many years of hard work with Aunty Gay at his side he made a go of it too.
Uncle Doug was passionate about the things he did. He insisted on doing things right. He was fussy about quality. Our family, like so many others enjoyed the fruits of his labours.
Uncle Doug was also passionate about trains. While most of us get frustrated being stuck at a train crossing he would travel many miles to watch a train pass by. Then Uncle Doug would jump in his truck and race miles to the next crossing to watch it pass by once again. The house walls were filled with pictures of trains. The basement of their home was plugged full of train memorabilia. And then there was Doug’s happy place - the train room with the most beautiful HO scale layout. He spent countless hours there as did those he shared it with.
Uncle Doug was generous. Many times he and Aunty Gay would come to Chemainus and bang nails on our projects, helping Janis & I realize our dreams. While in his shop everything always had to be done his way, on our projects he graciously deferred to me and cheerfully worked along side. But, even so, I often heard him mutter quietly under his breath ‘It’s not the way I would do it’.
Uncle Doug could be a little cantankerous at times. He certainly didn’t have much patience for fools. He absolutely wasn’t fond of bureaucrats and strongly disliked needless regulation.
But the Uncle Doug I knew was kind and generous. He was loving and helpful. We enjoyed countless visits through the years, often sipping an ice cold Coca Cola which he enjoyed almost as much as I.
Our world was better because he was in it.
I will remember Uncle Doug fondly!
