Gordon Paul MacDonald

I know Paul through his son Alistair´s and my daughter Katya´s long term and loving relationship. Raising a son of such fine calibre only shows even more how good a father and a friend he was.

Paul was a treasured person in our lives and we will miss him dearly. We shared many exchanges over football each Sunday before kickoff and loved to goad him about his beloved Seahawks. His spirit and joy will remembered always with fondness. Paul, we hope you are comfortably watching a winning Seattle game.
Love,
Pauline and Doug

When I think about my father, I can tell you about him and describe his legacy by how he influenced me.
In the earlier years, we were encouraged to play and enjoy the outdoors. We had an ice rink in our backyard. We had cool mustang bikes. We took a car ride just because, or if time allowed we went camping on the weekends. At a young age we learned to read a map. A ride in the car was not a time to read a book or sleep but was a time to see everything along the way. We would make stops at all the historical markers. During camp weekends, we learned how to canoe. Don´t forget about the early morning outings, in the misting rain and the cold, to bird watch. I think I learned what little patience I have on these outings.... I have always felt a strong connection to the outdoors and love road trips. We always had pets. During this time, Dad developed his photography skills.

As a young adult struggling with life direction, I can think of several times that my father backed me up, supported me and listened to me when others did not. This put him in one of favorite people positions for life. Our family didn´t emote well, but My Dad and I navigated this through the years, to bring us to a closeness and an understanding that hardly needed words. In these years, Dad was exploring being an entrepreneur. When he opened his mens wear store in Guelph, I watched him design and build out the interior from an empty shell to a warm and inviting space. We all helped. With his direction, I did inventory for him and extended all the necessary calculations. I watched and heard his challenges with this business. Dad had to go back to the city to work as the store did not support the family. He ended up revitalizing a neck tie factory. I worked at the factory twice, with more maturity doing better the second time. I did accounting, and was in charge of shipping. I learned how to fix mechanical equipment. I learned how to discuss business with whoever we interacted with. I learned about style and colour. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and was coached on selling customers who entered the showroom.. Would things have gone differently with the factory if Dad hadn´t had his heart attack? Dad was the sole salesman across the country so the factory could not continue with his health issues. I learned so much from these times. If it hadn´t been for his health issues, we may not have moved west, who is to say... But we did, and I love my life on Vancouver Island.

Dad took up sailing on the west coast, a passion that he pursued for years. I was usually too busy working during much of this time, but did get in a few sailing trips. Wow, what a change in our lives, just a few years later, to be out in these beautiful settings, as compared to our being in the factory office all stressed out. We loved the quiet coves, the wild life, exploring the small businesses in the small coastal towns, the few wild rides we had in bad weather... Nautical charts, mechanical stuff to fix and MacGyver.

Once on Vancouver Island, my father did one of the things he did best, he sold to people, to begin with travelling through the western provinces and then later focusing on all of B.C. When I relocated to Vancouver Island, the first thing I did was go on a three week road trip with Dad for his job of selling souvenir items. He loved his travels and considered many of his clients his friends. He worked until he was 80 years old, stopping only because the travelling was too much for him. One time, he wasn´t allowed to drive because of a medical event, so I drove him to Tofino to do his sales trip. We had some good chats during these times.

This is a good time to bring up Dad´s nine lives... Twice when he came home from a sales road trip, he told me about how his car went off the road and rolled. He was never injured. Around this time, Dad was dating, which was amusing and uncomfortable for me and my husband. Dad liked to review any potential dates with us. He met many nice women but nothing was sticking so I suggested he join a walking group, so he could meet people in a different setting. I reminded him about how he liked to take us on walks when I was young. After a bit of prodding, he did it. Well, so began a time of fitness that put Dad in his best health of his life time. He was obsessive about his interests, I think he would have been a great athlete, if he had been encouraged when young. He joined several hiking groups, and then a road cycling group as well. Dad wiped out on his bike several times, and showed up at our house with gashes all over his body, but he never broke a bone.... On one of his cycling excursions, Dad raced some of his cyclist friends up a long incline, across a mile and then down the long hill. They stopped at the farm market. Dad got off his bike and dropped to the ground, he was out. Later, from his hospital bed, he told he fainted but the off duty paramedic, who revived him at the farm market, stopped by and told me differently, his heart had stopped.... What with his serious heart attack at 49, and earlier missing a flight that crashed, it seemed that someone was watching over him....

Dad made many good friends during these later years. He had many great experiences up to a couple of years ago when his health really slowed him down. Then our circle became smaller. Our times were still filled with lots of laughs and conversations while we navigated his many health issues.

I have started 5 businesses so far with my husband. We have renovated all of these businesses, with ever increasing requirements of us. At our latest business, with advisement, I laid out to scale on paper our brewery manufacturing area placing all of the equipment. I designed the bar structure and order station, and built the framing of it. I sourced most of the decor through auctions and second hand outlets. My husband and I oversee our two current business and have developed lasting leadership teams. I know where I got many of these skills and traits, some of them to be desired, some of them to be refined. Dad changed so much and learned a lot along the way through his long life. And what with his influence, I imagine I will do the same. My journey with my father is different in some ways than the journey my siblings had with our father, but I can see his influence with them as well. I am thankful for his part in our lives.

To all of you! You are all in our thoughts, please take care.
Paul may you Rest in Peace
Hugs to you all, Lana and Bill

Dear Melinda, Lee, Heather and Alistair. I wish you, your partners and all the family many happy memories of Paul. He was the most caring, involved Dad, Grandpa, Great Grandpa and so proud of you all. Paul became a dear friend to me when we met through the Outdoor Club of Victoria in 2015. He served on the Executive, led many hikes and was among the first to use GPS tracking which he generously taught many of us. He soon became known as the friendly go-to guy for tech issues... and for a good laugh with his wry sense of humour. Paul and I had much fun hiking, biking, sharing music concerts, dining, sipping... and debating. Lots of debating. I admired his positive attitude. Even when very ill he'd often say "Oh well, it could be worse." I'm glad to have been included in part of his life and, therefore, in yours as well. Love, Jan