FYVIE, Edwin “Don”

July 30, 1934 - April 2, 2024

 

Edwin Donovan “Don” Fyvie of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan passed away peacefully on April 2, 2024, at Regina General Hospital, at the age of 89 years with his family by his side throughout the duration of his stay. Don lived comfortably and independently at home prior to his brief admission to hospital. He will be missed by his sons Bill and Cam (Shauna Hudson); grandchildren Jon, Andrew, and Caroline; great-grandchildren Isabelle, Michael, and Aaron; dog Buddy; and by his friends and anyone who knew him throughout the community or met him at afternoon coffee visits.

Don was born in Moosomin, Saskatchewan on July 30, 1934, to William and Margaret (Tosh), and was predeceased by his wife Alta; sister Isabelle Geddes Fyvie; and brothers Tomson “Tom” James Fyvie, William Gordon “Gord” Fyvie, and Patrick “Pat” Ian Fyvie. Don studied Psychiatric Nursing at the Saskatchewan Training School in Weyburn, Saskatchewan from 1951 to 1954, where he graduated and received his certification (RPN). He met his beloved wife Alta during his training, and together they moved to Moose Jaw in 1955 where they were married and started a family together.

Don pursued further education and eventually moved on from his RPN job at Valley View Centre to briefly work as a Public Health Inspector for the Government of Saskatchewan. The majority of his career was spent working as an Adult Probation Officer and then after his retirement in 1986, he worked briefly on contract as a Parole Officer for the Government of Canada. Don was active in his local union and in the SGEU. He enjoyed his 37 years of retirement to the fullest.

Don loved and enjoyed his life and connection to his wife, his family, his dogs (Tiger, Snoopy, and Buddy), his friends, animals, and nature. He could often be found out and about with one of his dogs by his side. In Don’s retirement, he spent many summers at his cabin at Thompson Lake. Don kept up with his hobbies of bird watching, building bird boxes, and placing western bluebird boxes on fence posts in southern Saskatchewan, baking breads, preparing special meals for his dogs, tinkering in his yard, spending time with friends and family, reading, and staying up late to keep up to date on news, politics, and current events in Canada and from around the world. Don’s family will fondly remember his caring and understanding nature. He supported and cared for his wife Alta at home from 2017 to 2021 following her hip fracture. Don’s love and care ensured she spent her last years in her own home as was her wish. We also marveled at his sense of humor, and his impromptu recitations of the many poetry verses and song lyrics he had memorized as a child.

In keeping with Don’s wishes, he will be cremated and there will be no funeral service. We encourage you to remember and celebrate Don’s life in your own way. He and his family are very grateful for the care he received from the many nurses, respiratory therapists, and physicians at the Moose Jaw F. H. Wigmore Hospital and Regina General Hospital. We are also very thankful for the kindness and friendship of Don’s many warmhearted neighbours.

In closing, Don wished for us all to remember to be kind and compassionate to one another. We leave you with one of the poems that Don had recited from and reflected on in his final days.

 

Crossing the Bar

By: Alfred Lord Tennyson

 

Sunset and evening star,

      And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,

      When I put out to sea,

 

   But such a tide as moving seems asleep,

      Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep

      Turns again home.

 

   Twilight and evening bell,

      And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell,

      When I embark;

 

   For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place

      The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face

      When I have crost the bar.