Obituary of Donald Pinder

A memorial folder from the memorial service may be printed under the "Memories" tab, then choose "Memorial Program. PINDER - Donald Pinder of Springside, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 9, 2014 at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre at the age of 80 years. During the last week of his life, he was surrounded by his wife and all of his children, and several friends, relatives, and grandchildren.William Donald Edward Pinder was born on the family farm near Springside on October 20, 1933, the second child and first son of John Edward Palmer Pinder and Florence Seaton Dinsdale. He was raised with his elder sister Doreen, younger brother Larry, and younger sister Louise. He left school in the mid-1940s to work full-time on the family farm. In his early adult years, he played baseball for the Springside-Theodore Combines, and was known for his batting ability. In the late 1950s, he worked as a brakeman on the Canadian National Railway, based in Jasper, Alberta. Don would often recount his experiences on the rail, the places he visited, and the friends he made during those years. He returned to work the family farm with his father. He purchased his first quarter in 1962, a few months after meeting Mary Clara Bryski. In July 1963, they married, and began the work to rebuild an abandoned house on Don's quarter that would become their family home. Gradually, parcels of land were added, including a half-section of pasture land on the Whitesand River. Together, Don and Mary raised four children: Deborah Ann, Lenore Florence, Shauna Dawn, and Shane Donald. The family operated an 800-acre farm, raising cattle and harvesting wheat, barley, oats, canola, mustard, and flax. In 1976, they built a summer cabin at Good Spirit Lake. Don excelled at many sports, including baseball, tennis, badminton, curling, and karate. He enjoyed cycling and walking. Don was an avid golfer, and encouraged his children in this and many other sports. Don was a member of the Springside Badminton Club, the Yorkton Badminton Club, and for several years the Springside Credit Union board. In 1980, he began taking flying lessons, received his pilot's licence in 1981, and in the following year bought a 2-seat airplane and carved out a half-mile-long grass runway near the family home. Two years later, he traded his plane for a 4-seat airplane that was regularly used to check on cattle, family adventures, and in later years shuttling his adult children from nearby airports home to the farm. He eventually completed training for his night endorsement and commercial pilot's licence. Together with Mary, he was a member of the Civil Aviation Search and Rescue Association for over 15 years, and remained an active pilot. In the late 80s, with most of the children having left home, Don and Mary sold the pasture and the herd of cattle to focus on grain farming, buying an additional quarter next to the family home. Don travelled to many interesting locations with his wife, children, and grandchildren, throughout Alberta and British Columbia, and including Ontario, Colorado, and New Zealand. In 2006, at the age of 72, he embarked on his first flight across the ocean, accompanying his daughter, Lenore, on the trip to bring home her new baby daughter from Ethiopia. In 2002, Don retired from farming. The farm machinery and many of the outbuildings were sold at auction. In 2008, the remainder of the agricultural land was sold, retaining an acreage with the house and a few outbuildings. In the summer of 2008, the family home was struck by lightning, and was lost to the ensuing fire and water damage from firefighting. Don and Mary had a new home built on the same location, and lived there since. In 2009, the cabin at Good Spirit Lake was also sold. Don was pre-deceased by his elder sister Doreen and younger brother Larry. Don leaves to celebrate his life: his beloved wife Mary; his sister Louise and her husband Larry of St. Paul, Alberta; his sister-in-law Lavada of Plantagenet, Ontario; his brother-in-law Gordon of Yorkton, Saskatchewan; his daughter Debbie and son-in-law Ralph together with granddaughter Maria of Sherwood Park, Alberta; his daughter Lenore together with granddaughter Kalkidan of Yorkton, Saskatchewan; his daughter Shauna together with granddaughter Lindsay of Prince Rupert, British Columbia; his granddaughter Brittany of Prince George, British Columbia; his son Shane and daughter-in-law Claire together with his grandson Nathan and granddaughter Suzie of Auckland, New Zealand; and many nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends. The cremation and funeral care has been entrusted to Bailey's Funeral Home. Friends are invited to join the family in celebrating Don's life on Saturday, February 22nd at 2:00pm. at the Springside Centennial Hall in Springside Family has requested that memorials be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or to the Canadian Cancer Society as tokens of remembrance. Service Information Saturday, February 22nd, 2014 2:00pm, Springside Centennial Hall Interment Details