Donald William Muggeridge

1918 - 2015

Donald William Muggeridge Mar 9, 1918 - Apr 14, 2015 Donald passed away peacefully in San Rafael at the age of 97. He was predeceased by his wife, Vera, of 68 years. He will be deeply missed by his son Derek and his wife Hanny of Lake Country, B.C., granddaughter Karen of Calgary A.B. and Dennis Barrington and his son Conrad, his grandson Michael and his wife Tanya and their daughter Maya of Truro, N.S., as well as many friends here and around the world. Donald was born in England and served his country in WWII, where he rose to the rank of Captain in the 79th Armoured Division. He was evacuated from Dunkirk in May of 1940 and returned to the beaches of Normandy during the invasion in June 1944. After the war he worked in local government and became Deputy Clerk of Worthing Rural District Council. In 1956, Donald, Vera and Derek immigrated to Canada and Donald took a position as the Executive Assistant to the Secretary of Avro Aircraft Canada Ltd. After the Canadian government cancelled the Arrow jet fighter project in 1959, the company was forced out of business. The family then moved to San Francisco where Donald became a Senior Master Agent for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States earning a place in the Equitable Hall of Fame. Donald and his father William shared a lifelong passion for windmills. He donated their extensive collection of windmill photographs and information that spanned a century, to the University of Kent at Canterbury (www. kent.ac.uk/library/special collections/) and to the Mills Archive Trust in Reading, England (www. millsarchivetrust.org). This passion carried over to his superb collection of windmills on stamps which he could happily have used two lifetimes to complete. A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2015 at Mount Tamalpais Mortuary at 2500 Fifth Ave., San Rafael. The family is most grateful for the care Donald received from the kind, hard-working staff at Alma Via of San Rafael and Heartland Hospice.