John Frederick Knox DONALDSON

DONALDSON, John Frederick Knox
November 2, 1935 - July 11, 2014
John was born in Montreal and passed away at home in Sooke, BC, with his wife Donna at his side. John was first diagnosed with cancer eight years ago and had a difficult road to walk those eight years, but he did so with courage, determination and perseverance. John was a special man: intelligent, honest, easy-going, always smiling, quick to laugh and truly a gentleman. He was a wonderful husband, proud father and a good friend to many. He loved his "Black Ladies" and one of his greatest enjoyments was to sip an afternoon ginger-ale in the sun room at the farm in the Townships and appreciate his favourite Angus cows in the front field. After a career in the investment business in Montreal, Edmonton and Vancouver, he retired in 1996 to his family farm in West Bolton where he developed a herd of prize winning Angus. For many years, "JD Farms" enjoyed many successes in the Angus show ring with Ryan Currie at John's side. He became President of the Canadian Angus Association in 2009 and proudly hosted the World Angus Forum in Calgary during his term. He was torn between his love of Angus breeding and his passion for salmon fishing. He spent many hours fishing in Sooke with his friend Mark Price and came back in with his limit or some tall fishing tale. John was a friend of Bill W for the past 35 years and with this came serenity. John is survived by his loving wife and best friend Donna, his son James Donaldson (grandson Lowell), his daughters Jill, Jennifer (Gordon) Langley, Joan (Curtis) Johnson (grandchildren Jack, Bradley and Parker), and his former wife Jane. He was predeceased by his parents Jack and Helen. A Service will be held at Knowlton United Church in Knowlton, Quebec at 1 p.m. on July 28, 2014. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Canadian Angus Foundation or the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated.