Wednesday, June 20, 2018
I am very sad that Don passed away, and also that I did not spend more time with him during our time in Halifax. When I was 12 to 15 years old, living in Saint John and across the street from him, he was my hero and mentor. The 3 year difference in our ages did not seem to bother him. He invited me to his home where I watched him develop photos using the technology of the day (primitive), making things from balsa (long before Lego) including model planes, sophisticating his model train (none in my family), and other wonders. One could guess he would be an engineer. Our paths went in different directions for a long time as we got into our careers but we got together again during our retirement years in Halifax. At that point genealogy was a mutual passion. We spent many hours discussing our successes and failures, with great pleasure. Being organized, he still had lots of photos of our youths together, especially in Boy Scouts activities and trips so we reminisced also about "the old days.". We picked up where we had left off in the late 1940s. Don was a fabulous man, citizen, father and spouse. To me he was my best mentor ever, in every way. His family will miss him greatly. I will remember him with much gratitude.
Emery Fanjoy
