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Donald MACINTYRE Obituary
After a lengthy illness, Don passed away on January 21, 2017, with his longtime companion and partner, Barb Noble by his side.
Don is survived by his three devoted sons, Peter (Sandra), Jim (Liz Joy) and John (Beth Sangster) and four grandchildren, Laura, Peter, Tyler and Grace who will miss their "Papa Don". He was predeceased by his parents and his sister, Betty Carter.
Don was born on November 20, 1922 in Toronto to Dr. Horace Macintyre and Kathleen Macintyre. Don served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1942 to 1945 as a Signalman. Following the war, he attended the University of Toronto, graduating in 1947, with a Bachelor of Arts, and took a job with Imperial Oil Limited and moved to Edmonton in 1949. He married Barbara Moor in February 1950, and was very proud of the subsequent arrival of his three sons. Imperial transferred him to the head office in Toronto in 1956. Don returned to University to study for his accounting designation, becoming a Chartered Account in 1962, and moved to the Corporate Tax Department of Imperial until his retirement in 1980.
Don enjoyed life to its fullest. He was active in leadership roles in a number of organizations. He was a Director of the Canadian Manufacturers Association and was a President of the Tax Executives Institute of Toronto. Don was an avid SCUBA Diver and Instructor and taught hundreds of people to dive safely through his involvement as a life member of the Etobicoke Underwater Club, serving the club in a number of capacities including President. Don was also a founding Director of Underwater Canada and a leader in the Ontario Underwater Council. He also served as a longtime member of the Parks Canada advisory committee for the establishment of the Fathom Five Marine Park in Tobermory, Ontario.
Don had an enthusiastic love of the water and enjoyed boating throughout his life. He was a life member of the National Yacht Club in Toronto where his boat "Four-by-Two" was moored for many years as he served the club in numerous roles over his tenure.
Don travelled extensively and his diving log book has international entries from Mexico, Tobago, Grand Cayman, Barbados, Bahamas, Florida, Bequia and the Red Sea. He had a strong interest in Ontario shipwrecks and did extensive research and search missions including discovering the wreck of the "Sligo" in Humber Bay in 1984. He loved boating throughout Ontario and was especially fond of Kincardine Ontario, where he spent summers as a child and Tobermory where his twin passions of boating and diving intersected.
A true gentleman, a good and kind man, Don was never shy providing assistance in any way to the many people he came in contact with. Socially outgoing and a great conversationalist, he provided great career advice and guidance to his three sons, and was a loving and supportive long term companion to Barbara Noble. He will be missed by all those who he touched as a great father, grandfather, brother, son, uncle, husband and friend. The family would like to convey a special thanks to the staff at L Wing at Sunnybrook Hospital Veteran's Centre, unsung heroes all, for their incredible patience and kindness, especially Mirela and Lorna, for their wonderful care for Don over the final months of his life.
A celebration of Don's life will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2017, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the National Yacht Club in Toronto and all are welcome to meet his family and friends and exchange some great stories.
Donations in Don's memory to the Ontario Branch of the Royal Life Saving Society (www.lifesavingsociety.com), The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (jdrf.ca), the Sunnybrook Veteran's Centre (sunnybrook.ca/foundation) or Tobermory Hyperbaric Chamber (tobermoryhyperbaric.ca) are appreciated by the family.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Donald MACINTYRE
7 Entries
Janet Davidson
May 20, 2017
Don graciously stepped in as a father figure for me when I had none and helped me to navigate my teenage years. I have many, many happy memories of diving, camping and conversations with Don and his family. He was a generous, wise and kind soul.
Stu Seldon
February 5, 2017
How sad. Every summer, I run into Don at the boat ramp in Tobermory where we shout insults at each other, point out how old the other is and get caught up on recent adventures. Don's passing is a great loss to the dive community. He will be missed!
Ivan Smith
February 4, 2017
I will echo Dr. Harpur's words in terms of Don's enthusiastic support for Fathom Five. His efforts over the years are very much appreciated. I was always grateful for Don's well considered and patiently delivered advice. He was a kind and generous man. My condolences go to Barb and family.
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Sherry Mitchell
January 31, 2017
Don was a familiar character in his later years as a fixture in the local coffee shop. You could often find him with his coffee, scone and the Globe spread out on the window counter. Once you encouraged him to take his hearing aids out of his pocket and put them in, the conversation was always interesting with lots of laughs. Snapped me out of a bad day many a time. He will be sorely missed.
January 29, 2017
Fond memories of the annual Tax Executives 'meeting' Don hosted on the Four by Two.
David Burn
George Harpur
January 28, 2017
The national underwater park Fathom Five has lost one of its strongest supporters. Don was tireless in his efforts to see the park develop with the best possible in protection of the resources, appropriate governance and management and support for sport divers. He was a staunch supporter of the efforts of the Tobermory Hyperfacility to provide the best possible urgent response resources and we benefited regularly from a variety of fund raising projects carried out by the Etobicoke Underwater Club at is urging.
Don was always thinking about ways to improve on things up in the tub and would never miss a meeting of the advisory committee or an opportunity to bend my ear with his latest concerns. His enthusiasm will be sorely missed and our condolences go out to Barb, Don's sons an grandchildren and the host of close friends and associates.
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