Donald MacLeod

Died peacefully on February 28, 2012 in the 84th year of his age. Predeceased by his beloved wife of forty-four years, Beth A. Anderson. Dearly loved and deeply mourned by his wife Christina Weylie of Kitchener; his three children, John A. MacLeod (Christine) of Cambridge, ON, Janet E. Bates (Ronald) of Kelowna, B.C. and M. Kathryn Rosenstein (Hagop Artinian) of Montreal; Donald Weylie of Vancouver, B.C. and Catherine Weylie of England; his four brothers and sisters, Marjorie Oldfield of Cambridge, John R. MacLeod of London, Andrew MacLeod of Waterloo and Molly Ridsdale of Aberfoyle; nine adoring grandchildren, one affectionate great-grandchild, and numerous nieces, nephews and kindred.

Born in Montreal, Mr. MacLeod grew up in the Preston, ON. Upon graduation from P. H. S., he served as an Anglican lay reader at residential schools in northern Canada. In 1947 he entered the reserve officers’ training course at Camp Borden and was commissioned in 1948 as a lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry of Canada, forming a proud life-long association with the regiment.

He was a founder the local branch of the CIM and ultimately pursued higher education at Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration, graduating a George F. Baker Scholar in 1958.

As an employee of Savage Shoes, he was a pioneer in the use of computer technology in business. He rose to the position of President, first of the Canadian subsidiary, Savage- Interco, and later of the independent Canadian company, Savage Shoes Ltd. He was a leader in the activities of the Shoe Manufacturers Association of Canada and served several terms as its president.

Following his retirement from Savage, he was active as a business consultant and lecturer at the University of Waterloo. He also worked extensively for Canadian Executive Services Overseas, providing entrepreneurial leadership and advice to businesses around the world. His travels for CESO took him to various exotic locations in South America and Asia, but his particular specialty was advising companies in the former Soviet Block.

Donald was a staunch supporter of the Conservative party at both the national and provincial level. His abiding love of English literature led him to membership on the Board of Governors of the Stratford Festival, serving as its president in 1983. He was a long-serving member of the Board of the University of Waterloo. In demand as a speaker on a range of topics, he was an active member of the Conference Board of Canada, the Confederation Club, the Harvard Club of Toronto and the Probus Club, as well as being honoured as a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International.

A memorial service for Mr. MacLeod will be held at St. John’s Anglican Church, Cambridge (Preston) ON, on March 16 at 2:00p.m. Instead of flowers, the family requests donations to World Literacy Canada or the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.