Dr. Don Neale
January 29, 1943 – November 13, 2014
Don passed away peacefully surrounded by his family after a five year battle with cancer. Don was predeceased by his dad, Terry and his mother, Betty. He is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Jan; daughter, Deb (John) Taylor; grandchildren, Mitchell and Amy; son, Aaron (Liz); brother, Doug (Ann); sister Lorna (Paul) Tinney; also many nieces, nephews, and extended family.
Don was born in Purdue, Saskatchewan and raised in Port Alberni. After graduating from UVIC with a B.Sc., he worked in forestry and commercial fishing. Don then attended Veterinary School in Saskatoon. After his graduation, the family moved to Ladysmith where he opened his own clinic in 1976 - The Ladysmith Animal Hospital. He retired in 2001 and fished commercially for 2 years. Realizing his true passion for veterinary medicine, Don and Jan moved to Parksville where he opened a second clinic – Oceanside Animal Hospital. Don was well respected in the community for his empathy toward animals and their owners. After twelve very successful years, he retired in March 2014 due to his illness.
Don was a loving family man and special friend to so many. His wry sense of humour and zest for life brought joy to all who knew him. Don enjoyed every day and lived life to the max! Thanks to Dr Atwell, Dr Dunn, Dr Maccari and the wonderful Palliative Care staff at Eagle Park. Special thanks to Alana, our home care nurse.
A Celebration of Life will be held in Don’s honour at 2:00 pm on Saturday, November 29th at Yates Funeral Chapel, 1000 Allsbrook Road in Parksville.
In lieu of flowers, please consider honouring Don’s memory with a donation to the BC Cancer Foundation, 2410 Lee Avenue, Victoria, BC V5Z 4H4 or the SPCA, PO Box 1407, Parksville, BC V9P 2H3.
To send a condolence to the family please visit
www.yatesfuneral.ca
YATES FUNERAL SERVICE & CREMATORIUM
(250-248-5859) in care of arrangements.