Doug died on Sunday, November 3, 2024, with his family by his side, at the age of 82. He was a loving husband to Sheryl Bertrand for 57 years, a caring father to Blair (Vivian) and Ian (Riann Cooper), a dedicated grandfather to Garrett, Sage, Caitlin, Zoe, and Dylan, and a loyal brother to Wray (d. 1985), Ruth (d. 2020), Aubrey, Aletha (Allan), and Wayne (Lori). He enjoyed time with his extended family. Born February 18, 1942, in Norwich, ON, Doug was raised on the family farm, Shady Walnut, which remained his true “home” for the rest of his life. Queen’s University was where Doug earned an engineering degree (Sci 66) and met the love of his life, Sheryl. Early married life included working as an engineer in Woodstock, ON and Alexandria, VA and earning an MBA at Western University. A career shift into managing manufacturing plants brought him to Montreal, QC, Bowmanville, ON, Brantford, ON and eventually Elmira in 1981, where he has lived ever since. His final career was as a small business tax consultant. He was an avid curler and golfer for many years. While he never really retired, in his later years he travelled extensively throughout Canada, the USA, the UK, Europe and, surprisingly to him, southern Africa. In 2019, he was struck with an autoimmune condition that destroyed his kidneys; he was on near-daily dialysis for the rest of his life. Visitation will take place on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the Dreisinger Funeral Home, 62 Arthur St. S., Elmira. A service to celebrate Doug’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at Gale Presbyterian Church, 10 Barnswallow Dr., Elmira, with reception to follow. The service will be livestreamed and may be accessed through Doug’s tribute page. Thank you to Dr. Mark Benaroia and the nursing team in the Home Hemodialysis Unit at Grand River Hospital for their support for Doug and Sheryl over the past 5 years. Thanks also to the staff at Waterloo Hospice for making Doug’s last days comfortable. As expressions of sympathy, donations to Grand River Hospital Foundation Kidney Care or Hospice Waterloo Region would be appreciated and may be made through the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira.
