Donald BOLDUC

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BOLDUC: Donald passed away peacefully in Deloraine on August 9, 2020. He was 95 years old. He was born in Lampman, SK on January 1st, 1925, the 4th of 7 children. His parents Louis Bolduc and Emma Carriere Bolduc were of French Canadian origin. They were born in the USA and came back to Canada to the free homestead land on offer in Saskatchewan. Donald grew up on a farm near the small town of Benson in the lean years of the 1930’s. He loved baseball and playing it was a lifelong pastime. He and his brother Willis saved their money to buy a bicycle which they shared. They earned 10 cents a week for stoking the coal fire that heated their school. Their brother Kenneth gave them some money he’d earned from threshing and their parents added the last bit. Donald was proud of the fact that he could even ride the bike backwards. When he was 16 years old, Donald’s father Louis died of a brain tumour. His older brother Lloyd arranged for Donald to come to Manitoba to continue his high school education and help with the harvest. Donald was a very good record keeper and he once wrote the following: “I was only 14 when the war broke out and like everyone else I thought it would be over in a few months. But in 1942, when I was 17, I decided to join the airforce. I had a definite interest in flying and if you didn’t sign up, but were conscripted, you would have no choice of where you were placed. Being involved in a war is an unforgettable experience. Wars are an incredibly foolish way to try and settle anything but I suppose everyone thinks that they are on the right side and others are wrong. I joined the airforce in late 1942. Three years later in March 1946, I was discharged. During that time I was stationed at 14 different locations so I had a lot of chance to pack and unpack. There were 7 different places in Canada, 5 in England, 1 in France and 1 in Belgium. My training as a wireless air gunner started in Calgary with the learning of Morse Code and radio. While there I switched to Navigation and went to Quebec City and Nova Scotia for training. When complete, we navigators were in a room with pilots and instructed to match up as a team. A pilot named Bob Montgomery (Monty) chose me. He said that he wanted the youngest guy he could get because “if anyone could get you home safely after a flight it would be a young fella”. Donald and Monty had more training in England, then on to France and Belgium. They flew bombing trips over enemy territory at night, flying the de Havilland Mosquito aircraft. “It was a great relief when it all ended. It took 6 months of waiting after the war to get back home as the last ones to join were the last ones sent home. One of the ‘benefits’ of war was that after the country’s serious depression, being in the war gave you a place to live, good meals and a small income. It seems hard to believe now that I earned $1.30/day and thought I had a lot of money. When I left the Airforce I was earning $7/day. I was rich”. During the time in the airforce, Donald wrote home to his mother every week. The family is fortunate that these letters have been preserved. Donald returned to the prairies and in summer he farmed with his brothers in the Deloraine Manitoba area. Winters he returned to Estevan, SK with his mother and 2 little sisters Doris and Elaine. He worked at Whitby’s Hardware in Estevan. It was there that he met Rose Ruder, a clerk who would play a big part in his future. As a ploy to have her come to his area, he would say he needed to check the accuracy of the store scale. She would step on, the scale registered 90 lbs and all was well. He and Rose were married in 1950 and would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this November. The Canadian government offered veterans a further education. Donald thought about what to do but there was nothing he wanted more than to farm. The Veterans Land Act helped him to buy a farm. They settled on the Bidford road and there they raised 5 children: Gary, Anne, David, Lorne and Donna Jean. Don never lost his love of flying and got his pilot’s licence in 1965. He bought a Cessna 150 in 1967. He was active in the Air Cadets program as an instructor. He passed his love of flying on to his son Lorne and together they helped establish and maintain the Deloraine Winchester Airport. Donald farmed and was part owner of Bolduc Brothers Construction with Lloyd and Willis. In the 1950’s and 60’s they worked on the Winnipeg Floodway and the Portage Diversion projects. In time all the sons would work on the road building equipment. Over the years Don played ball, curled, golfed and square danced. He was active in the Air Cadets, the Red Cross, the Knights of Columbus, the Flying Farmers and the Legion. A lifelong member of the St Antoninus parish, he supported it in many ways. Don was a kind and gentle man who loved to joke around. He didn’t speak ill of others and he seldom complained. Always friendly and happy, he never refused a game of crib. Grandchildren and great grandchildren all loved to play crib and to hear his humorous expressions. Don and Rose enjoyed many trips together. On their 25th anniversary they went to England and Belgium to visit areas Don had been during the war. Over the years they visited Hawaii, California, Arizona and had numerous trips to Victoria, BC. They always loved driving to Estevan to visit with family there. They took the Cessna as far as Williams Lake BC where daughter Anne had settled. In 1989 Don and Rose moved from the farm into Deloraine. They lived in their home there for 30 years until 2019 when they moved together into DelWinDa Court Personal Care Home. The DelWinDa staff have been wonderful and the family would like to thank them for their constant caring ways. Don is survived by his wife Rose, children Gary (Susan), Anne (Greg) Brown, Lorne (Jo-Anne) Donna Jean (Barry) Lamb and daughter-in-law Sheryle and their families. There are 11 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. Also survived by his sister Elaine (Glenn) LaPlante along with many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by son David in 2014 and by his parents Louis and Emma and siblings Lloyd (Margaret), Kenneth (Georgette), Verlyn (Ralph) Guthrie, Willis (Polly), Doris (Jim) Raleigh).Smith Funeral Home204-747-2088 www.wheatlandfs.com

As published in Brandon Sun on Aug 15, 2020