Pictured is Jack Donald and his wife of 68 years, Joan. (rdnewsNOW)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

nov. 29, 1934 - jan. 18, 2024

Red Deer comes together to celebrate life of Jack Donald

Apr 20, 2024 | 2:55 PM

A central Alberta business powerhouse, who was more importantly a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, was remembered fondly by hundreds on Saturday in Red Deer.

Jack Donald died Jan. 18 at age 89, leaving behind a legacy of generous philanthropy, business pioneering, and community service.

A recipient of the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2015, among other recognitions, Jack and loving wife Joan invested $3 million into Red Deer College (now Polytechnic) in 2006, and so was born the Donald School of Business.

Another $3 million gift came to RDC (now RDP) in 2016, and then this February, the Donald family gave a record-breaking $20 million gift to RDP to create the Donald Family Institute for Healthtech Innovation.

Jack Donald was also a former board of governors member at RDP.

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“Jack has meant so much to this community with his tremendous philanthropy, but also his engagement and generosity of time and effort. He sat on boards, committees and capital campaigns, and that engagement has been so important for so many organizations,” Stuart Cullum, RDP president, shared with rdnewsNOW at Donald’s celebration of life.

“A lot of the development at our institution over the last 20 or 30 years is a direct result of the efforts of the community, but particularly of Jack Donald; if he had not invested in us and endorsed the work we’ve been doing, we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what we have. A big part of this today is that Jack believed in his community and its institutions, and he brought out the best in us because of that.”

Someone who got to know Donald well over the years is Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston

“It’s a bittersweet day — bitter in the sense that we’ve lost our most prominent citizen, a man who was not only himself in Red Deer, but central Alberta and western Canada when you think of the reach of the Canadian Western Bank,” says Johnson, referring to the organization previously known as the Bank of Alberta, which Donald spent 26 years with as a founding director.

(rdnewsNOW)

“Today is sweet in the sense that the community can recognize one last time what he meant to us, how he built us up and strengthened us. This complex we’re in here at Westerner Park, Jack was visionary enough back in the day to be part of in terms of moving it from downtown to where it is now. It’s quite fitting we have a goodbye to him here.”

Among those who spoke at the celebration were Rotary colleague Darcy Mykytyshyn, friend and city council colleague John Oldring, Canadian Western Bank coworker Larry Pollock, Stuart Cullum, and the Donalds’ children, John Donald and Kathy Lacey.

Speaking with rdnewsNOW, Lacey expressed her gratefulness for the community showing up to remember her father.

“My dad was a great guy. He worked tirelessly for the community and for his family, and he just gave a lot to the Red Deer area,” Lacey says.

“He’s left a big imprint and I think a lot of people today will be here to pay respects and celebrate a life well-lived. My mom had found a saying, which was in his obituary and it sums things up nicely; it said ‘Not a bad run for a guy who liked to pump gas and sell stuff.'”

Jack Donald received an Honorary Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from SAIT.

He retired in 2002 after many years as president and CEO of Parkland Industries, remaining on as a board member through 2005.

He was also partner and vice-president with Brandt Industries Ltd. in Regina.

Locally, Donald also served as president with the Optimist Club of Red Deer, and he joined Rotary Club. He was also a City of Red Deer alderman for two terms in the 1970s.

Jack Donald was Red Deer’s citizen of the year for 2002.

More on Jack Donald can be found in his obituary.

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