Don left us peacefully on the morning of Sunday, January 26 at the fine age of ninety-two.
He is survived by his four children: Andrew and wife Michelle, Patricia and husband Dean, Donald and wife Fiona and Michelle and husband Steve. He was Grandfather to Serena, Justin and Simon, Lyra (Max), Michael and Isabel, Ryan, Tristan (Jasmine), Maria, and Devan. He was also Great grandfather of Amethyst. He was recently preceded in death by his wife of sixty-four years Martha Curtis nee Morgan.
Don was born in Coburg, Ontario, Canada and spent his early years there. He graduated from Ryerson Institute of Technology with an Engineering Degree in 1955. He then found work in the oilfields of Calgary where he experienced the coldest winter of his life which would dictate many of his future choices. It was in Calgary that he met and befriended a Trinidadian colleague who encouraged him to make the journey to the newly expanding oilfields of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. There he met his wife Martha with whom he would spend the next 64 years of his life. They had two children in Venezuela before moving to Trinidad where they would have two more.
For the next twenty-six years in Trinidad, he was a partner in a successful oil field servicing company, a shipping company and his own electrical contracting firm. Don and Martha left Trinidad in 1986 and after a short, too cold, stint in Toronto they decided to move south and settled in Orlando very close to their daughter Trish and her husband Dean where they spent the next thirty-four years enjoying the warmth of Orlando and the many friendships they developed especially among the Trinidadian diasporas. Throughout his life, Don was known for an amazing work ethic, his deep commitment to family and friends, his unwavering moral compass, and his ability to inspire those around him. Whether through his words of encouragement, acts of kindness, or quiet strength, he left an indelible mark on the hearts of many.
A celebration of Don's life will be held on Friday, January 31st, 2025, at 10:00 AM at
Annunciation Catholic Church, 1020 Montgomery Road, Altamonte Springs, Orlando. In lieu of
flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the Sharing Center in his honor.