Don was a husband, a father, a papa, a brother, an uncle and a friend. He was many different things, to many people. Don was the oldest of 5. He had 3 brothers and the youngest, finally a sister. Their family lived in Toronto, but Don’s fondest memories were of weekends spent at the cottage on Rea Shores, on Balsam Lake. That is where family gathered, pot-luck dinners were devoured and sing-songs were belted out around the campfire. Don became a husband to Holly on September 12th, 1981. Don and Holly bought their first house in Holland Landing where Don, soon after became “Dad” to three beautiful girls, Laura, Teresa and Karen. The family moved to Queensville where the girls spent a large part of their childhood. They went to school, joined girl guides, figure skating and this is when Holly began her bus driving career. Their weeks were busy with school and work. Their weekends were spent driving up north to “the lake” surrounded by family and friends. Everything was good until the closing of Southam Murray Printing where Don worked for 25 years as a mailer. Without the tie of the good paying job, Don moved his wife and 3 daughters north to be close to both of their families. This was a dream come true! As a self-proclaimed “PROUD CANADIAN” Don enjoyed himself most far away from the hustle and bustle of town. When they purchased a 72 acre hobby farm, Don finally had his private country property with plenty of grass to cut! When they moved, Don had promised his girls they could have a cat and a dog. Holly’s sister June quickly fulfilled Don’s promise by first dropping off a puppy and then on her very next visit, a kitten. Don joked that June was no longer allowed on the property because she kept dropping off animals. Those animals, Cody and Misty, changed Don into an animal lover. Not that he would ever admit that to anyone. Don’s girls grew up and became young ladies here. He sat quietly, yet proudly by, as they started driving, graduated both public and high school, and started carving their own paths. Although there were strict rules and more than a few arguments, there was always a lesson to be learned. And as much as we disagreed at the time, Dad was always right in the end. He wanted nothing but the best for Holly and his girls. Although he wasn’t really a “hands-on” dad, he would always be there to listen or give a hug when needed. Don and Holly celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in 2006 with a great party! Friends and family drove in from all over to surprise them and share such a milestone. Don honestly enjoyed having everyone there and thought that it was a great comparison to their wedding party that everyone raves about to this day!! A hard worker and provider for his family, Don tried his hand at many jobs to make ends meet. He was everything from a landscaper, to a shift worker at factories, and finally a custodian with the school board. All of these jobs lead up to Don and Holly purchasing their dream home on Balsam Lake. Shortly after, Don retired. This gave him time to enjoy the little things and spend more time with Tucker touring the back roads. On any given day you could have passed him in his Dodge burgundy pickup truck on any road in the City of Kawartha Lakes. Most likely, Holly was riding beside him and they were heading to Tim Horton’s. "Quality Time", as Don called it. As time went on, the Girls grew up, moved out and had homes, and families of their own. Weekend dinners became a priority. Holly would be in the kitchen and Don would be operating the cd player…Stompin Tom, Gordon Lightfoot or Bruce Cockburn would be playing, depending on the day. The occasional argument over how to operate the stereo was all part of the memories. The kickoff of summer was when the docks were being put it. This is when Don would call on the men in his girls lives and anyone else brave enough to venture in the chilly early May water. Ryan was the expert. He was always the first one there, ready to go, in his bathing suit. Stuart was responsible for rounding up the troops, which without fail, would always include his cousin Jeff. As Ryan bravely waded into the water…Stuart would be delaying or busily inspecting the docks on land for “monsterous” dock spiders. Don would always offer a hand but eventually settled into the supervisor roll. There were always lots of laughs, unlimited beer and yes, the occasional hairy dock spider. Don found this more than hilarious watching Stuart squeal from the safety of the shoreline. Don was a man whose grandchildren meant the world to him. Don didn’t have quite enough girls in his life – one more, “Little Jess”, was just the icing on the cake! Though Don didn’t know Jessie from her beginning, he naturally fell into the grandfather role. Told many times…to many people – Don met Jessie and her Dad together for the first time. And as the story goes…Stuart looked at Don, looked down at a grinning little 5 year old Jessie, then looked back at Don, as if to say…she’s with me. We’re a package deal. This story comes up every once in a while, and Don smiled every time he told it. He knew how unconditional a father’s love is for his daughter, and respected Stuart for it. Don had no idea what was in store for him! He quickly became known as “Papa Don”, and he couldn’t have been more proud. His “Little Jess”, also known as “chicken leg road runner”, loved to spend time with him. Whether it was laying on the couch snuggling, picking pretty rocks from the driveway or listening to Johnny Cash, it was all special and meant a lot to both of them. And then there were TWO. Kurtis William Rea was born August 18th, 2009. He was handed to a very proud Papa at the hospital where they spent the next hour in silence, just looking at each other. Papa’s little man was honestly the son he never had. Kurtis was everything to him. He was there for every milestone with a grin from ear to ear. Don was a changed man. Once shy of cameras, he was then asking for pictures of him to be taken. His “Little Boo” giggled at whiskery kisses and at times pointed and said loudly….Papa!! One of their favourite things to do together was make music by banging the washing machine. This was not one of Grandma's favourite things though! Kurtis loved his Papa very much and his Papa loved him more than he will ever know. Don had many friends but his go to guy was one of the more silent types. A dirty blonde, 7 year old boxer lab was truly his best friend. A man who once swore that a dog should have its own bed, ended up sharing his very own with Tucker almost every night. When Don just needed to talk, he would quietly listen. If Don needed company he was always there to lean on. Tucker was the last one to be with him…Tucker was truly a friend to the end. Don was never one to want to be in the spotlight…so we all know that he is probably more than a little ticked for all the attention today. If you have ever talked to Don on the phone you would know that he was never very good with good byes…..so in his own words: PEACE, LOVE AND HUBCAPS