August 27, 1949 - January 15, 2022
I can't believe you are gone now Don. It will be so hard to imagine what life will be like now knowing that you are not just a phone call away. There wasn't a day that went by that we didn't talk on the phone, sometimes about a lot of things and sometimes about nothing, but we always checked in with each other daily. You were always there and I knew I could count on you.
You were without a doubt the best brother a sister could ask for. Cancer took you, when you should have had 20 more years of life left, but they always say, "the good ones go first" I think God needs a chef in heaven and you were one of the best.
Don was born to Joan and Jack Fox in Campbell River and was raised in Vernon, B.C. on Silver Star Mountain. Don attended Vernon elementary schools and then Fulton Senior High and then moved to Penticton, where he married and settled in to raise his 3 children Brent, Renae' and Cynthia. Don's youngest son Frankie was born much later on the Coast.
Don is also survived by his step daughter Kelli who currently lives on the coast. Don is survived by all 5 children, his sister Jude Lanaway and his brother- in-law Jim Lanaway and his 3 brothers John, Tom and Ted and many grandchildren, nieces and nephews and cousins.
For over 20 years, Don was the General Manager for Ford and held the most awards for customer service and sales for over 20 years. Don loved his immediate and extended family members and was always thinking of what he would like to do, to help them. He wanted everyone to have a good life and enjoyed being able to drive anywhere he wanted to go.
Don loved driving and would often tell stories of when he drove big transport trucks in his early 20's across Canada and the States.
Don had impeccable taste in clothing and often talked about the days gone by, when he owned a men's clothing store and how much he enjoyed it. Don was never idle and would often tell stories about owning a camper building business and building houseboats for Shuswap lake when he was in his 20's .
Don loved children, animals, camping, fishing, and motorcycles and in later life, he became quite the gardener with his numerous indoor plants. But Don was most passionate about cooking. Don would often get up at 2 am to start preparing his home cooked healthy meals. All the ingredients needed to be fresh and exact. He would sit down to lunch or dinner or both, daily with a table set perfectly in an immaculately clean apartment and enjoy his fine food done to perfection.
Don was a very hard worker his whole life, but he had developed a nice balance for himself throughout his life and enjoyed taking time to do the things that he liked to do. He was unapologetically Don and we loved him for that.
Don does not want a funeral and Don's resting place will be with Mom in the Vernon Cemetery. Don would like his family and friends to gather over good food and share stories together about their memories of him and remember how much they all meant to him.
Don would like to thank his dear friends Gwenda and Bill from his apartment building for being there for him. Don would also like to thank Charlie for the past 3 years living in Charlie's very well run building. Rest in Peace Don.