DONALD EWAN LAMOND

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DONALD EWAN LAMOND Born February 20, 1927 to Scottish immigrants, William Gow Lamond and Myrtle Lamond (nee Lang), in Winnipeg, Manitoba. While at home in the presence of his children, and after a brief battle with the ignominy of old age, Don passed March 24, 2018. A respected neurosurgeon, scholar athlete, patron of the arts, and consummate host, Donald was a renaissance man for all who knew and loved him. He survived Evelyn, his beloved wife of 62 years, but missed her every day since. He is survived by his seven children, their spouses and his 18 grandchildren, and two great- grandchildren. A resident of Stockton, California for the past 59 years, Donald worked tirelessly as one of the area's first neurosurgeons until his retirement in 1992. Don came of age in Winnipeg during the hardship of the depression and the Second World War. In 1946, his father died, leaving him and his brothers, Conrad and Keith, devoted sons to their mother. The era of his childhood led Donald to internalize a set of values that always defined his life; honesty, hard-work and self-reliance, and they shaped the boy into a man. That man's world was happily upended when at age 19, he met Evelyn Couper. Their courtship unfolded against the stunning backdrop of Banff and Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies, where they both worked during the summers while students. In 1948, Don began medical school at the University of Manitoba, and in 1950 he married Evelyn. In 1956, the couple moved their growing family to Detroit, Michigan, where Don undertook his residency at Henry Ford Hospital. In 1959, his studies complete and four kids in tow, Donald and Evelyn had opportunity aplenty and they chose Stockton, California. Where else can you have the spectacular skiing of the Sierra Nevada 90 minutes east, the storied beaches of the California coast 90 minutes west and the waterski paradise of the Delta right out your back door. Dr. and Mrs. Lamond loved Stockton and they soon became active members of the community, while always maintaining their friendships with their childhood and college friends back home in Manitoba. He was a founding member of the Sigma Lambda Phi fraternity at college and they continued regular gatherings until recent years. Pops regaled his children, and his grandchildren with tales of adventure running youth programs in the Canadian wilderness, ice hockey, football and barbershop quartets. His keen intellect, curiosity and fair mindedness carried him to his final days. Friends and family surrounded him always and he tended to them as ardently as he did his revered garden. He gifted his children and his children's children with the precious sense of belonging. That sense spilled over to friends as well and it was never more apparent than when you sat down to dinner at Pop's table, where there was always room for one more. Don Lamond asked for only one thing in this world - a little PLU please - Peace, Love and Understanding.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 28, 2018