Don Deforest

Don was born in Port Alberni on April 14 1953 to Cec & Flo Deforest. He was the fifth of seven children, the first son. Don spent most of his working career at M&B Sproat Lake Division primarily as an off road logging truck driver which he enjoyed very much. Don enjoyed many hobbies, one of which was hunting. One of his favourite memories was hunting alongside his dad in the late 70s. Another life long passion was fishing down the Alberni inlet where 36 years ago he with the help of a few good buddies started the Sproat Loggers Winter Spring Derby which has proven to be a great success with over 500 participants annually. When you think of Don you think of him cruzin' his red 1968 Dodge Charger RT. He loved his many coffee dates in the car down at the Harbour Quay with Donna and the many car shows they attended over the years making lifelong friendships in the car community. Don was also a proud member of the Valley Street Rods car club. We can't forget the Toronto Maple Leafs! Don became a tried & true fan from the age of 10 when he received his first Leafs jersey. A bucket list memory of Dons was in 2018 when he and his daughter Kaitlyn attended two games and visited Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Most recently his greatest joy was his granddaughter Charlee. He was incredibly proud to be a grandpa and we know the bond they have will last forever.

Don is predeceased by his parents Cec & Flo, his oldest sister Elaine, brother Ron and inlaws Bert & Lois MacIntosh. He is survived and forever missed by his spouse of 40 years Donna, his daughter Kaitlyn, son-in-law Dave Johnston, his one and only, apple of his eye, granddaughter Charlee. He is also survived by his siblings, Sharon Mather (Rob), Marlane Butchart (Bob), Diane Dobson (Pete) and Wayne, large extended family and his many close friends.

A celebration of life will be held on March 23rd at 1:00pm at the Athletic Hall. We encourage his car buddies to bring along their classic car if possible. Don would love that.

We will forever miss Don but take comfort in the many happy memories we hold close.

Special thanks to Dr.Kitsoff, Dr.Feyi, Dr. Fraser and the staff at WCGH for caring for Don.