Obituary of David Gordon McDonald

David Gordon McDonald

July 5, 1946-June 2, 2017

Gord went gently into the night on June 2, 2017 in his 71st  year, at McGarrell Place, London, ON.  Husband, best friend and partner in life to Louise Milligan.  Proud father to and tree-house builder extraordinaire for, Emily and Annie.  Gord was the eldest brother to Jim (Donna Doiron), Jane (Michael Wylie) and Bob (Tracy Heim), all of Calgary and uncle to Heather, Katherine, Graham, Brianna McDonald and Ali and Ian Wylie.

Gord was born in Saskatoon and spent his early years in London, ON, while his father (Stuart) attended Western, and his mother (Enid (nee May)) tended the home fires.  The family eventually settled in Lethbridge, AB, where Gord was a member of the local air cadet squadron.  Gord attended The University of Western Ontario, receiving is Hons. BSc in Zoology in 1968.  After 4 years in the Canadian Air Force, Gord returned to school at the University of Calgary, where he earned his MSc (1974) and PhD (1978) in Biology. 

He joined the Department of Biology at McMaster University as an Assistant Professor in 1980, where he met Louise.  They married in 1983, settling first in Dundas, ON, then Paris, ON, and in 2002, moved to London, ON.  Gord’s greatest joys in life were his daughters, Emily (21 yrs) and Annie (15 yrs). He took great pleasure in watching their soccer games, theatre performances and engaging them in lively discussions around the dinner table.

In 2002 Gord left McMaster to take up a position at the University of Guelph, as Professor, in the Partnership for Ecosystem Research and Management program, joint with the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission.  In this role, he focused his energies on developing lamprey management strategies in an effort to protect the Great Lakes fisheries.  He was passionate about teaching and research.  He was happiest when tinkering in the lab, helping students design and build various pieces of equipment to measure everything from lamprey swimming behavior to the blood chemistry of blue mussels. Biology was one of his great passions.

Gord was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2010 and faced the diagnosis with great dignity.  Ever the scientist, Gord actively engaged in clinical research, donating his brain at the end, determined that others could learn more about Alzheimer’s disease.

We wish to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the staff of Harris House, McGarrell Place, for the kind, compassionate care they provided for Gord while he was in residence.  We also wish to thank Dr. Michael Borrie, Aging Brain Clinic, Parkwood Institute, for his ongoing support.

Cremation has taken place.  A celebration of Gord’s life will take place at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, a donation in Gord’s honour to the Alzheimer Society of London & Middlesex (http://www.alzheimerlondon.ca) would be appreciated.