GEORGE ALBERT DOAN

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GEORGE ALBERT DOAN George Albert Doan passed away quietly at the Deer Lodge Centre in Winnipeg. He was living at home with Mother until quite recently when they both moved to the veteran's wing of Deer Lodge Centre. He passed peacefully in the afternoon of May 12, 2018. He is survived by his loving wife of 72 years, Thelma (nee Lee), his children, Ted (Cathy), Dennis (Gloria) and Gayadelle (Philip Heimbecker); five grandchildren, Alethea, Christa, Lloyd, Matthewe and Aidan; and eight great-grandchildren, Arden, Mason, Cameron, Sadie, Jackson, Clark, Trystan and Leyton; numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, as well as many cousins and friends. George was predeceased by his parents, Almon and Margaret Doan; siblings, Archie and Dora, Tom and Georgina, Patrick and Ruth, Winnifred and John Marcino, Kathleen and Herb Hirsekorn; also Lee family in-laws: Ervin, John and Harriet, Merril and Adeline, Martha and Clarence Erdahl, Levi and Eileen, Mary, Wallace and Gwen, Aileen and Roy Bridger, Walter Johnston; and nieces and nephews, Colleen and Rodney Hirsekorn, Todd Doan, Patrick Doan, Garth Lee, Roland Lee and David Lee. George was born on July 18, 1922 and with five siblings was raised in the small town of Elphinstone, MB, where, like many other families, they struggled through the Great Depression. He grew up determined to make his mark on the world. He joined the Canadian Air Force but soon transferred to the Royal Navy and was stationed in Halifax where he saw duty on the Atlantic. He was on route to the Pacific front when the war ended. After returning home he began a career in business and married shortly after. By 1947 Doan Brothers Trucking was well established and operating out of George's farm at Erickson, Manitoba. He soon found that buying cattle and transporting them to market in St. Boniface was more profitable than moving general freight. By the early 1950s he was engaged in the cattle business full time and living in Winnipeg with his young family. He initially worked for Canada Packers as a buyer and soon moved on to work as auctioneer in the St. Boniface yards. By the mid 1950s he was a licensed live stock broker operating commission firm either alone or with partners into the mid 1970s. In the 1970s he took on the management of New Bothwell Co-op Dairy Ltd. and for 32 years guided it through considerable growth while innovating and developing new products and services. In his early years George was quite a competitive curler and with his own unique style enjoyed some success at local bonspiels. He was very energetic and many remember how much he enjoyed lively competitions; cribbage, horseshoes or horseracing whatever was available he was always up to a good game and some good natured ribbing. He retired at age 80, after a career spanning 62 years. He enjoyed his retirement keeping busy with improvement projects at his home and the lake. A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, 2018 at Glen Lawn Funeral Home Reception Centre, 455 Lagimodiere Blvd., Winnipeg, Manitoba. A private family memorial service and interment will be held at a later date. Family and friends may sign a Book of Condolence at www.glenlawn.ca Glen Lawn Funeral Home 204-982-7550

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 19, 2018