Ernest Ronald McDonald

Ernest Ronald McDonald (The Big Guy) November 25, 1929 - March 24, 2011 Born running and always curious, Ernie approached life with great gusto. What he could experience firsthand, he did, otherwise he learned and experienced by reading and talking to people. What a rich treasure chest of life we have lost but those close by enjoyed his buzz big time! Son of Mabel (Klein) and Joseph McDonald and sibling to Stuart (deceased), Angus (deceased), Mary (deceased), Helen, Jeannie and Alice. He was married first to Jean Cruickshank (deceased 1994) and raised 2 children, Bruce (Jeri Fostvelt) and Colleen (Steve Brager). Ernie is survived by his second wife Marilyn (Anderson), his children and grandchildren Kelsey, Stuart, Erik, Jordan and Mitchell and many nieces and nephews. Ernie also became a loving family member with Marilyn's children and her grandchildren. He will be missed greatly by all his family, and his extended family. A Celebration of Ernie’s life will be held Saturday, April 2nd at 10:00am at Victory Memorial Park Funeral Centre, 14831 – 28th Avenue, Surrey. In lieu of flowers, donations in Ernie’s name may be made to an organization specializing in Autism programs. The family has chosen, Arion Therapeutic Farm, 2457 Saucier Road, Kelowna, BC V1W 4B8. www.arionfarm.org. To see a bigger picture of Ernie’s life and to leave a message of condolence please visit www.victoryfuneralcentre.ca

EULOGY AND LIFE STORY OF ERNIE MCDONALD AS GIVEN BY COLLEEN FOSTVELT (with lots of adlibbing as you can imagine!)

Good Morning everyone. I am Colleen Fostvelt, Bruce McDonald’s sister in law.

We welcome everyone to this Celebration of Life for Ernie McDonald. Ernie is fondly known as Erne, Big Guy, Grampa, ER, Ernest, etc.

For this morning, I am going to be your host and moderator and I am presenting the eulogy on behalf of the family. After I have given you few of the highpoints of Ernie’s life, I am going to tell you who Ernie was to me and then I would like to open up the mike to all of you who wish to share your Ernie story as I am sure there will be some real dillies. Once we have no more takers to story tell, we will move to the reception area below for refreshments. Following this, the family has opened their house for those who may wish to continue visiting. Jeri and Bruce live just up the street from here.

So to get going with this this Celebration of Ernie, Ernie was born on November

25 , 1929 to Mabel (Cline) and Joseph McDonald. Ernie was one of 7 children. His brothers Stuart and Angus (who some of you knew as McGint) and sister Mary have since passed away and he is survived by his sisters Helen, Jeannie and Alice. Jeannie and Alice are with us here today.

Married first to Jean Cruikshank (deceased 1994), Jean and Ernie raised 2 children, Bruce and Colleen. Ernie is survived by his second wife Marilyn, his children and grandkids Kelsey, Stuart, Erik, Jordan and Mitchell and many nieces and nephews. Ernie also became a loving family member with Marilyn's 5 children, Stephen, Scottie, Greg, Ali, and Gordon and her 10 grandchildren.

Born running and always curious, Ernie sought after adventure his whole life.

Mabel and Joseph raised their brood of 7 in the young Newton area. His mother's Cline family still has early settlement recognition via Cline Road which is 62nd Avenue in Surrey. You can imagine that growing up in these times of the 20s and 30s life would have been very challenging for most families but Ernie always seemed to share stories about how good he had it. Remember these were the days of little extras, when few homes had plumbing or refrigeration, and houses were super small compared to today’s standards. Mabel gave birth at home with a doctor, of course, if he made it on time, and there were no cures for some of today's less threatening diseases. Ernie second oldest brother Stuart died at the age of 16 from pneumonia when Ernie was around 12. Brother Stuart's death is the only noticeably tragic and difficult event that Ernie ever discussed about growing up. Instead, we heard about all the great days he had playing basketball and lacrosse while he attended Queen Elizabeth Secondary School, and how he coached his own sisters basketball team too. He often reminisced about how much he loved spending time fishing and swimming at his favourite watering hole with his brothers and friends at the Serpentine River. We also heard lots about his mother’s excellent home cooking and how she always knew how to make the best tasting meals out of basic ingredients. Some of these recipes remained his favourites and Ernie enjoyed making them for us too. Ernie often commented about how hard working his mother was, and how she always made sure no one in the family was left out. And he boasted about his Dad’s great tenacity and strength and work ethic. We know from many stories that this was a family raised to love and care for one another as they remained connected through adult life and continued to share and spend time together as they raised their own children. This was reflected in Ernie as he had strong family values, dedicating his whole life to be involved with his children, their children and their families and friends too.

Now back to Ernie's growing up.....

Ernie was ready to leave school and home in his mid teens. He decided to join the Merchant Marines and get out and see this big world of ours. Heck it was his opportunity to travel the world. What an eye opening experience that was!! When he finished his stint on the big open seas, he returned to BC and missing the ocean, took on a job working with a tugboat company. This meant that even though as a young newcomer that he would have to slog it out as kitchen help, he would still be able to fulfill his dreams of working on the water. And because Ernie learned a strong work ethic from his family growing up, he was put to good use early. It wasn't long before Ernie moved on to become First Mate on the tugboats and then moved on again to seek his Captains papers. Unfortunately it was discovered through the intense tests of rapidly flashing lights etc., that he learned he was born color-blind which meant he could not get his Captain's designation. This meant that Ernie could not be the boss of his boat, so he decided to return home with a shelf full of experience and memories burned in his brain. And let me tell you, this man had a steel trap memory, never forgetting many details about his experiences there or in other of parts of his life as time went on.

Soon after returning, Ernie went into the construction industry where he became a successful business man, established ER McDonald Construction Ltd, earning him a decent life for him and his family.

In 1957, while Ernie was attending a social dance at a hall in New Westminster, he met his first wife to be Jean Cruikshank. They married in 1958. They would tragically bear one still born full term baby in 1959, and then have Bruce in 1960 followed by Colleen in 1962. Several of Ernie’s brothers and sisters were also building their family nests resulting in many great extended family times together over birthdays, annual holidays at Christmas and so on. Jean and Ernie brought huge family and friends get-togethers into their home a lot and their place was the hub of the latest whole McDonald family buzz for years! These were good happy social family times and they enjoyed many fantastic feasts together.

As I mentioned earlier, Ernie knew the value of actively participating in family and community activities. Ernie was a boy scout leader for many years while Bruce was growing up-many of you in this room were in his cub pack too. Ernie also became an honorary member of the Kinsmen and Lions Club organizations where he spent many years contributing to the betterment of youth, adult programs and community facilities in Surrey. These were great years of fun for Ernie and the whole family and they made many friends and business relationships too.

While Colleen and Bruce were young, Ernie built a family cabin on Osoyoos Lake where their cabin was alongside 6 other families including the Wiebe's, Ethiers, Nordstands, Scotts and Deans. Every summer until 1975, Jean and the kids would spend the entire season enjoying the interiors lakeside life with these young families beside them doing the same thing while Ernie drove back and forth every weekend because he had to keep up with the housing industry demands of the 70s. This was quite a long drive on the highways during these years but Ernie did not mind because he knew his young family would have an excellent quality of life at the lake.

There were log rolling and multi-family activities and bar-b-ques, and hours and hours of water sports of all kinds. They also got golf memberships for the young kids growing up for $10 for the season, imagine that! Auntie Jeannie was reminding Colleen of the times eating corn in the lake with her brother. Loads of kids and I understand that a few of you may be in this room, learned how to ski behind Ernie's Silver Streaker, which was his infamous car-topper turned into a speed boat!

In the winter months during these same years, the family would pack up the camper on the back of Ernie's pickup truck and head for the ski hills. Manning Park became a favourite destination for the McDonald family and many other families just like theirs. The whole family skied, and they made many great friends there. And everyone knew you were welcome to get warmed up and enjoy a super lunch at the McDonald camper!

As it turned out, Ernie never lost his passion for the sea and all it had to offer. The family decided to sell the Osoyoos property in the late 70s and instead buy a pleasure boat to enjoy their summers. They named their first boat “Dad's Toy” but it wasn't a toy at all. Only Ernie knew about boats and the whole family had to learn all about the new fangled gadgets and gizmos. And then there was the mooring business at the docks, and figuring out how to drive this 'tank-on-the-water”. Luckily for everyone, Ernie was passionate about the sea and a remarkable navigator of the coast. Being a great teacher too, the family caught on quickly and started to love the sea too. The family took up boating with other friends who bought boats as well and in no time, there were a whole bunch of boats doing outings together around the BC Coast.

When the kids flew the coupe, Ernie and Jean bought a bigger boat still carrying on the name “Dad's Toy” and they joined “E Dock” at the Point Robert's Yacht Club where they became active members. Many of the “E Dock” boaters were super energetic and spirited folks, Ian and Agnes Jackson, Barry and Annie Hill, Aileen and Bob Brown to name a few and they all became lifelong friends. All the kids of these families soon joined in on the fun and the children brought lots of their friends with them.

There were many fantastic years of group outings with the young and old together. EDock and friends would tie up raft together at Sucia Island, Roche Harbour, Orcas Island and other San Juan islands in the Puget Sound and at many West Coast destinations like Texada, Rebecca Spit, Teachearne Arm, Desolation Sound to name a few. There were the great Jazz Festivals to attend at the Friday Harbour and so many memorable dock parties where families simply came together at a marina to share pot luck from the daily sea catch or from their boat kitchens. Ernie was no slouch, he was one of the first of the ‘kids’ to be certified on SCUBA, and took many of us on unbelievable scuba diving adventures. Heck he even turned us gals into hunters under the sea, harvesting scallops and box crabs so we could contribute to the fantastic seafood feasts for dinner that evening. And this does not include the many chowder cook-offs, clam, oyster , prawns and mussel feasts! Learning this from Ernie made it very difficult to remotely consider buying these delights in the off season! Save up for next year and indulge! When the tides were right, everyone would load up onto Dad's Toy and head out to the beaches. Sometimes there would be over 40 people on board or dinghy being pulled behind. Ernie liked being around people, there was no doubt about that and like his mom, no one would be left behind! On one outing, when the sailboaters and the stinkpotters were going to play against each other in a volleyball match at Roche Harbour, Ernie loaded up his boat with many of Colleen and Bruce's friends. Ernie dressed the crew in a Dad's Toy t-shirt and in his mind, sailboaters didn't stand a chance. He was right, Ernie's stacked boat creamed them! These years on E Dock were truly fantastic times for everyone involved.

When Jean passed away in 1994, Ernie had to enter a new chapter in his life. He was only 65 years old and still full of energy. Luckily he was lit up by new grandchildren and he spent lots of time with the new babies Colleen and Bruce were producing.

About a year after Jean's death, Marilyn Anderson was introduced to Ernie by a neighbour friend. He saw a good thing coming in his direction big time! It didn't take long for love to take hold and they were married on October 9, 1997.

Marilyn who is probably known to most of you, is an amazing woman on all accounts indeed and she brought out the best in Ernie in no time flat!! Those of us close to him watched him blossom like he was a young teenager finding first love! As an example Colleen B says, imagine Ernie willingly except her yappy pet dog into his house when we knew fully well that he couldn't stand any kind of bloody mutt near his property! We would secretly laugh at his new soft heart and the truth is, his age seemed to regress rather than progress with her around. Marilyn is smart, funny, compassionate, adventurous, curious and always positive and enthusiastic, and she loves people too and the two of them simply bounced off of each other. What an outgoing time they have had together exploring about each others different interests and activities and friends. They shared it all completely and deeply and they would bind their unique lives into something special to just them.

And so, Marilyn and Ernie would come to love each others families as their own.

Ernie sold his boat and he and Marilyn got into RV-ing. They found their way to Mexico and traveled in many of the southern United States. They would meet up with friends at different places like Boca Beach in Mexico and would stay for months at a time. They both loved to swim in the ocean and they did it every day. They took many trips together and because Marilyn's children lived all over the world, they would visit them too. They traveled to England, Germany, Albania, Vietnam, Peru - Machu Pichu, and the Galapagos, Panama, Europe, and many other places. Marilyn tells us one of things Erne loved was when he was snorkling off the coast of S America and they swam over a hammerhead shark pod. Apparently it was fantastic! Can you imagine??

In the summer, Marilyn and Ernie would take their RV over to Port Alberni, China Creek and keep it there for several months. They bought a boat so they could go fishing, prawning and crabbing. This RV park was loaded with other campers like the Rand family, doing the same thing along side them. There were lots of people to meet and have fun with together.

Ernie and Marilyn's children and their children came over to visit them often and Ernie would take them out fishing. All the grandkids got fishing rods and Ernie taught them how to catch the big ones! There many great feasts and good times during the ten years they enjoyed the China Creek experience.

Ernie and Marilyn loved the outdoors and nature together. They would garden together and when they would hike, they would study their surroundings. They were well versed on plant species and trees and birds and would buy reading resources to become informed. Funny Auntie Jeannie advised Colleen this week that when his Mom asked him to weed and hoe the garden, Ernie was no where in sight. Hmm times changed!

Many of you know, Ernie was a hunter and when Bruce was a teen, he would take him along too. For many years, every fall, they went on 2 or 3 hunting outings together with all of their hunting buddies such as Pete Hall, Randy Ryzak and Bob and Don Bhandar. When Stuart and Erik were old enough, they joined in the hunting outings too and Ernie taught them everything he knew.

Stuart and Erik will never forget their Grampa's cooking at the hunting camps where all the meals were prepared by him and always the same on each day of the week, and especially the eggs and bacon which were the best ever cause they were made with Bacon Juice! Bacon Juice, now aren't those words only a Grampa can say to offer this food as healthy without negative comments from label reading parents?! Last year, Ernie worked with Stuart and Erik to study for the CORE Hunting licenses and because of his weekly study sessions, they passed with flying colours!

Ernie loved music and was always singing a tune. And he was a bit of a whistler as well, and was always patting his hand to some beat. A little Willie Nelson comes to mind. In recent years, Ernie taught himself how to play guitar. Every day he would sit in front of his music sheets and strum. The grand kids would ask him to play a tune for him and they would all sing along. There were some good years around the campfire at Lake Samish where the whole group could join in with Ernie's strumming. And they would always ask for one song and that was the Sow Song....There was an old farmer who had a ….. Col will try to snort clap whistle.

Ernie liked to keep his brain active. He was an avid crossword puzzler and was never to be outdone by one. He did the Vancouver Sun daily and there were lots of crossword books and dictionaries around. If you left the puzzle lying around, trust me Ernie would have scooped it and finished for you. He was an avid reader and was always into a good book - history was one of his fortes. You always knew you could find something interesting to read at their house!

Ernie loved to be involved with his grandchildren and he would want to be doing something with them or watching them play sports as much as he could. With Bruce's children close by, he and Marilyn went to every baseball and soccer game, every running race and other events that they could get to. He would become known as the biggest fan, and no matter what the weather conditions served up, he would be out there watching. And he and Marilyn got to know lots of the other parents there too and they really enjoyed each others company. If you ever came to one of these games, you would look for the guy with the lawn chair, baseball hat and sometimes some sunflower seeds cheering the team on. If it was lunch time, you would score because he always brought a great lunch and would offer to share!

Ernie was a wonderful story teller. Because he was always curious, and had a memory like a steel trap, he was amazingly good with the facts and details. He could talk you through an event with such exquisite detail, you felt like you had been there to experience it too! With a history like his, we will regret not ever having taped him while he spoke sometimes.

In the past year, Ernie became ill with a rare blood disease. He endured blood transfusions, dialysis and severe pain. He knew he was sick with a terminal illness but clearly did not want to leave us this soon. There was still tomorrow, a new day, a new adventure, a new conversation, no matter how small his ability to be involved in it might seem to us. He was just so passionate about living life.

Those of us close to the family know Marilyn was a loving and dedicated partner to Ernie, and the best caregiver anyone could ask for. She was also a retired nurse, and she used her knowledge and professionalism and assertiveness amongst the medical staff to make sure Ernie received all the most tenderest and thorough care imaginable. We are so lucky that you were in his life and our life Marilyn, and we can't thank you enough for absolutely everything.

All of us have been touched by Ernie. Whether it was learning how to paddle a canoe, build a campfire, catch or clean a fish, cheat at cribbage, how to bellow WHAT, being invited over for supper, sharing a life experience or just listening. Ernie had a great life and he shared his life with all of us. He was outgoing, healthy, sharp, quick witted and a true person. Jean used to say, Ernie is a good man. He was. He was the salt of the earth. He touched many of us and enriched our lives for the better. We are all thankful that Ernie was a part of our life. He was one very very special person and we will miss him.

END OF EULOGY GIVEN BY COLLEEN FOSTVELT.

PERSONAL PRESENTATION GIVEN BY COLLEEN FOSTVELT.

So I will give you a few personal ditties about Ernie and then pass the mike onto all of you.

Do you remember the first of Spring – a few weeks ago. It was a stunning day. I was on Vancouver Island just south of Courtney and heading into the Kingfisher Restaurant. I read an email from my family that Ernie was not doing well and there was a calling of the family. I went numb. I stopped and I looked around and right in front of me on this glorious day was the ocean. I was looking directly over at Denman Island on the Strait. How cool was that?! The memories of being with Ernie on his boat heading north for many weeks, for many summers, were second to none. Who else do you know that would say to his kids, now at that time, in their mid 20’s?...“bring some friends and come on along!” Ernie, that’s who! His boat slept 8 and as far as we could tell, he wanted many to share the experience. I caught my first salmon on Ernie’s boat. He took us to great places to scuba dive and released the fears of catching seafood by hand underwater, shucking oysters, drinking schnapps in a remote fishing lodge and learning about our great west coast. I was so lucky. We also learned that when The Big Guy came barreling through on the skinny outer pathways on his boat, that you either lead , followed, or got the hell out of the way fast!! If you didn’t, he would slightly nudge you where you grabbed any rail just to hold on because as we learned, that meant `excuse me` in McDonald jargon.

I recall a time, when I don’t know where Jean, Bruce Jeri or Col were, and I was living with Jeri and Bruce at the time, that Erne calls me up to ask me to get over to his house asap to help skin a halibut. I am thinking, what?! Off I trundle to Ernie`s, heck I owed it to him for all the great outings. I had to grab the gills, hold on like a crazy person, while Erne, with plyers in hand was skinning this monster fish. You have imagine, foot on the counter, buck knife on waistband and tongue sticking out. It was priceless. More than that, it was an honor to be invited to help him!

Ernie was a diamond in the rough. His famous WHAT! His collection of clothes that were out-dated, and he would say, Col, they are still good! He was right. Ernie was not a materialistic type of person, believed in the power of family, sharing meals and time with friends, his love was of the earth, a glass or two of red wine…

Just a few more comments from the young people in his life. I will never forget the story from Claire Stewart. She was 15 years old and starting a job a Save-on and was assigned to the fish department. A customer asked her to filet a fish. She did it. Her supervisor said you don’t have to do that. She said Oh. He said by the way how did you learn how do to that, Claire, sparkly and proud says, Ernie showed me!

On the day after hearing Ernie was not doing well and knowing that Stuart, Erik and Jordan were home alone feeling really sad, while their parents were attending to Ernie’s well-being, we all skipped out of work and chores and went for lunch and a walk on the beach. I asked them what is one of the first things you think of when you think of Grampa Ernie. Jordan pipes up ``He was Funny!``. Erik and Stu couldn’t agree more. Funny that many of you in the room who grew around Ernie were afraid of him! These boys totally got his sense of humor and dry sarcasm! As mentioned earlier about the bacon juice, I just love that, bacon juice. Aren’t those the words only a Grampa can say and offer this food without any comments from the parents. Ernie always had a baggie of ju-jubes and would ensure that his grandkids were spoiled with some of the little joys of life being a kid. He knew his role and was always giving a star performance.

So in keeping with tradition, before enjoying a nice meal and an evening with friends, on the boat, Ernie would insist that we have a Manhatten. So Ernie, my friend, after I leave here today, I too will have a Manhatten, with one cherry and toast you! Thanks for the memories. You have left a wonderful legacy.

END OF PERSONAL PRESENTATION GIVEN BY COLLEEN FOSTVELT.

MEMORY LETTER RECEIVED FROM ALICE, ERNIE'S 86 YEAR OLD SISTER TO BE READ OUT AT THE SERVICE

Ernie and Hartley Anderson, his good friend from school, they had been drinking. They came up to visit and they were feeling no pain. They had these big jugs of liquor. They put their finger in the handle and with their arms swinging the jugs over their shoulder, they would drink out of the jug.

We lived in our Grandfather's old house. Ernie had been all over the world in the merchant navy. Then when he started working, we were going to build a house through the U.L.A. So he decided to build it for us, his first big job. He did a good job but made a few mistakes. He could have made it two feet bigger but he forgot! The money he made building the house, he bought your mother's (Bruce and Colleen's mother) engagement ring.

Ernie, when he decided to go and start carpentry work he said he was going to get a hammer, a level, and saw and go into business and that's what he did and he was a good builder. But he said Bruce was a better business man, but you (Bruce) had more education than your Dad!

END OF MEMORY LETTER AS SUBMITTED BY ALICE, ERNIE'S SISTER.

PERSONAL PRESENTATION BY SHELLEY NICHOLL, FAMILY NEIGHBOUR AND LIFE-LONG FRIEND OF COLLEEN BRAGER

Our family lived three doors down from the McDonalds on 57th Ave. It was a great neighbourhood for families and that was what Ernie was all about: family. I think Ernie liked kids because he was a big kid himself and really enjoyed being part of their lives.

In the McDonald’s backyard, you could tell. There were two playhouses built for Colleen and Bruce that were the envy of the neighbourhood kids. Bruce’s was raised on four posts, like a fort with a trap door underneath and finished with cedar siding. (It was probably built to building code.) Colleen’s, on the other hand, was built for the little princess she was and was a hot pink, A-frame. Imagine, as a busy parent, the time and thought that went into putting that together.

Colleen told me that after her mom died, Ernie told her she should start having children because he was retired and would have time to be with the kids, something he thought he was often too busy for when his own kids were young because he was working hard. Colleen didn’t see it that way. She felt he was always there when they were growing up, watching sporting events, taking on adventures and travelling.

Ernie was a super grandfather, but he was also a great dad. He was always very involved with the kids. He took over as scout leader after my mom. She and Ernie didn’t have too much in common except they had a basement full of really bad wine and they were deeply involved with their children.

As neighbourhood kids, we were kind of scared of Ernie. He was loud and gruff and often had his tongue sticking out when he worked. He’d jiggle his false teeth out at Colleen.

Our friend Lee once phoned Colleen and Ernie answered. He couldn’t hear her quiet voice, so he ended up hanging up on her.

Joining the McDonalds for dinner was interesting. Meals were at 5 pm, precisely when Ernie came home from work. Everyone would dig in and if you didn’t hurry, you’d end up hungry and that was your fault. Ernie was the barbecue man and the food was always good.

Meals were always important; I remember Ernie planning dinner before we’d even finished breakfast. On the boat, he managed to make spaghetti dinner for 10 with only a few ounces of hamburger to spread around – and it was good!

Colleen remembered that, as the kids got older, on Friday nights, Ernie might have a few glasses of wine before dinner. By dinner time he was “happy” and enjoyed a good discussion with the family. However, it turned out that Ernie was right. He was always right. Even when he wasn’t...well, he was always right.

Ernie was a frugal fellow. He was a bargain shopper, known as Mr. 8:05 at Save-On, because he was lined up when the store opened with his handful of coupons. If the store flyer said customers could only have a maximum of two packages of chicken at the sale price, he’d just go out to his car, put his chicken away and then go back in to a different teller.

When Ernie took the family on vacation, he’d like to see every historical and tourist site on the way. Colleen kept being promised a chance to sunbathe on the beach, but they never seemed to arrive at the campsites until dark.

On the boat, he promised Colleen she could sunbathe when he’d finished fishing. She didn’t sunbathe until she was 18.

I think Ernie tried to keep the kids busy and away on weekends so they wouldn’t get into trouble and Colleen couldn’t see too many boys. When Colleen did bring in a date, dad was in his La-Z-Boy sizing him up while her mom pummelled the boy with questions.

He was always in his La-Z-Boy, with the TV on, a newspaper in front of him and transistor radio plugged into his ear if he was listening to hockey.

When the family started going up to Osoyoos, the ride up was part of the fun. Ernie would crank his neck around looking for mountain goats on the hills near Osoyoos. I don’t know if there were any there, but it was a little scary on the windy roads when Ernie was looking the other way. He’d also spit every so many miles, out the window or he’d open the door. He’d also sing songs, making up the words as he went.

On the lake, Ernie was a big kid with the rest of them. He’d challenge the kids to log rolling contests on the log that washed up on the beach one year. Of course, Ernie would always win. When they lost the log one year, Ernie went out in the boat to find it ashore somewhere else and brought it back – secured safely so it wouldn’t get away again.

Then, there were the underwater swimming contests. The kids would go first to see how long they could hold their breath under water and then stand up when they were done. After everyone had gone, Ernie would take his turn, swim by everyone else and, of course, win at that, too.

When we went out on the boat, Ernie was never still. He was barking orders and moving around. I remember being on the boat with my step-daughters and daughter, who was two, and one of my step-daughters plugged the toilet. Of course, Ernie made a joke of it and it carried on throughout the trip. He also had everyone groaning with disgust when he dove into the water of the bay where all the boats were anchored and letting out their toilet holds. He didn’t care. He joked about finding toilet paper.

One of my favourite stories is when we were in the camper at Manning Park on a weekend ski trip. Colleen, Lee and I were almost asleep in the top bunk when Lee said she felt sick. It was a long, cold walk into the lodge to the bathroom, so Ernie grabbed an ice-cream bucket and let Lee get sick in the bucket. Then, he put it outside under the truck. The next morning, Ernie, who was up first, of course, went outside, grabbed the bucket and then came in swinging it in front of our faces saying, “Who wants upchuck ice cream for breakfast?”

The trips were always fun and Lee recently noted that: “Ernie was a big part of it. “He made it happen.”

At home with Bruce and Colleen, Ernie was an early riser and liked to help the children wake-up with his mouth bugle as loud as possible: “It’s time to get up, it’s time to get up, it’s time to get up in the morning.” Later, he would jog around the block with Colleen and then come home and do calisthenics.

When the family had porridge for breakfast, Ernie would say: “A plate of mush like that will make you poop like a cow.”

When it came to bedtime for the kids, Ernie was the caring dad. He’d tuck Colleen into her bed so tightly with the covers around her and arms down, that she couldn’t move. Then, he’d turn around, put his butt in her face and fart. He’d walk out laughing.

I think that’s a great dad.

WRITTEN SUBMISSION BY MURRAY NICHOLL, FAMILY NEIGHBOUR AND LIFE-LONG FRIEND OF BRUCE MCDONALD

I’m sorry that I couldn’t be here today but I’m happy that Shelley is here to read this out for me.

My most vivid memories of Ernie were when he was our scout master.

When I was about 12 , my mom passed the torch from being our cub leader to Ernie, who became our scout master. Things changed a lot as whole new world opened up. This was no mamby -pamby sitting in circles and doing crafts, this was the real “mans” world of men against the elements, even if the elements only started out as the Nicomekel river.

Ernie Macdonald was in so many ways everything that my father was not. He was loud, brash, physical and always moving. He was as much a country boy as my dad was a city boy. He was rough around the edges and had little tolerance for excuses. He was just what I needed at that age.

Part of what we did in scouts was to go on many camping and canoeing trips all of which involved lots of planning, organization and supervision. As an adult now I look back and wonder how he did it all.

Our scout group was an unruly batch of 15 hormonal 12 year olds that Ernie somehow managed to motivate and keep in line by his shear will and presence. I for one actually feared him because has was, at that time, the only other adult who had yelled at me. I’m sure that I deserved it, but it was still a big shock to me. Ernie did not dish out praise very often, but that just made it worth more to you when he did.

We had dirt under our nails, knives on our belts, muddy hiking boots, plaid jack shirts and smelly old wool socks. We played with knives and axes the way kids these days handle cell phones and video games. At night, given the chance, we would sabotage other tents in the camp so that they would collapse on the unsuspecting inhabitants. We had pretty free rein for the most part, and even though we thought that we were undetected, Ernie knew exactly what was going on. He wouldn’t come right out and accuse you, but the next day you inevitably found yourself doing all of the camp dishes, or worse yet latrine duty.

Ernie enforced a kind of “Frontier” justice that we all learned to accept as part of being in the troop. The expression “suck it up princess” was not yet invented in 1972, but we all felt a similar wrath from Ernie when we whined. If you were goofing off and didn’t make a good enough trench around your tent so your sleeping bag got soaked from the rain, then that was just your own fault for not being prepared. It might have been an uncomfortable night for you, but no one got hurt, no one died, and, most importantly, we never made the same mistake twice! Ernie taught us to be self reliant and responsible for our actions.

Among the things that I learned from Ernie was that you could start a fire in the pouring rain with only one match, that it was possible to make a sleeping shelter out of a sheet of 8 by 8 black plastic and that even when you woke up with six inches of snow on your sleeping bag, that it was not the end of the world. You just got up, made a fire, and kept on going.

Ernie taught by example – no griping or complaining, just get on with it and live each and every day to it’s fullest. With a little preparation and a lot of perseverance, you can accomplish just about anything.

Thanks, Ernie.

ADDITIONAL PRESENTATIONS WERE GIVEN BY:

1. Randy Ryzak, Ernie's good hunting buddy and friend.

2. Don Bhandar, Ernie's good hunting buddy and friend.

3. Gerry (wife Caroline), Ernie and Marilyn's good RV travelling buddies.

4. Annie Hill, Ernie and Marilyn's good friend.

5. Melanie Frkovich, Ernie and Marilyn's fellow child sportsteam cheering friend from the baseball and soccer fields.

6. Jennifer Booth, Marilyn's niece.

There were other speakers planning to give presentations however the 2 hour time alloted was used up!

7. Stephanie Booth, Marilyn's niece gave a presentation at the burial held the day after the Celebration of Life service