March 21, 1942 – September 1, 2022
at the age of 80 years:
A celebration of Don will be held at the Gun Club, Saturday, April 15, 2023, 10am – 2pm.
Donald (Don) Edward Aguirre was born in Fillmore, California March 21st, 1942, and passed away at Shuswap Lake General Hospital September 1st, 2022, with loving friends by his side. He was predeceased by his parents John and Josephine.
Don was raised in an orange grove where he learned to dislike the heat, the work was hard and the oranges delicious. After graduating from high school, he was drafted but was not accepted. Without asking why, he was off on what he said was the greatest decision/adventure of his life…Canada. In California he had trained to become a farrier and shod many a horse here in the Shuswap, BC, Alberta and overseas. Don worked in the Canoe Mill for several years but always found the time to shoe horses. One tale of shoeing he would nonchalantly retell was when one reached around and bit his ear off. Don had a love of learning that did not end. He loved Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, going to the operas on Saturday mornings, attending plays, movies, reading, guns, and his vehicles (and clothes) that were often “fixed” with duct tape. Recently he asked a friend to order a Swahili dictionary as he thought he’d like to learn another language!
Don just loved people. He made friends, good friends everywhere he went, entertaining them with stories he gathered from various jobs, his travels in Africa (his favourite stories) and from life. Don spent hours writing letters and making friends unique, colourful birthday and Christmas cards always including scratch tickets that he also left as tips for everyone who served him. Don walked daily into Canoe to get his mail, he hiked the mountains, hunted and chopped wood – lots of wood. He fished logs out of the lake and built a fortress of firewood behind his cabin. Food was a favoured topic, mostly about how he couldn’t cook and was always delighted to be invited to a home cooked meal (minus the vegetables).
Our community has lost a familiar character about town, a kind, intelligent, funny, humble man who will be so missed by so many. Don talked a lot about love in his final days, he was pleasantly surprised to know that he mattered so much to the river of loving friends from far and wide that poured through his hospital room. Thank you all for being his friend.
A celebration of Don will be held at the Gun Club, Saturday, April 15, 2023, 10am – 2pm.
Please donate to whatever cause is dear to your heart.
I met Don many many years ago online and I met him personally. He is truly the most gentle soul, kind to people, loved animals, horses. I wonder if he left a cat or two behind. We wrote for many years. I tried to find him everytime we drove through Salmon Arm and Tappen. He left me with wonderful memories. He loved Bruce Lee movies and was such an active man.. Rest easy Don. I will never forget our memories…
Ii metDon on the ski hill in Lake Louise, where he was a lift operator upon coming to Canada about 1967Our friendship endured over all the the years since he truly was a likeable pleasant individual who looked after himself, loved nature and hiked a lot he fell in love with a 1967 4 x 4 truck and looked after it meticulously that was Don. The Uni Mogg was another favourite for him he took pride in his toys He as absolutely frugal. All his mail went out on recycled paper and it was cellophane taped tougher to open his letter then get into Fort Knox
he walked everywhere He stored wood like squirrels store nuts He was very pleasant at coffee breaks and would visit me in Edmonton periodically my last visit with Don was in the fall of 2021 and he tried to keep his spirits up. He valiantly fought his cancer to the bitter end. Thank you Don for creating so many fond memories for me
Rest in peace Buddy
To the family and friends of Don Aguire
It is Saturday, November 5th and I am at home flipping through the Shuswap Market News. Sadly I have come across Don’s obituary. I was shocked and sad to learn that he passed away earlier this fall. I own and operate the Candy Vault in Downtown Salmon Arm. I have been there for the past 11-years. If my memory serves me correct, I believe Don has been coming by my store for 11-years. His random visits were wonderful. What could have been a 2-minute stop for his purchase, turned into a much longer visit because Don would tell me all sorts of stories from his life. His travels were so fascinating. I also learned he never bought sweets for himself. He was always gifting what he purchased because he wanted to make other people happy. I considered Don a friend even though our friendship took place inside the four-walls of my business. I would always chuckle when Don would call me “Sir”. Don, you are the Sir. Rumour has it there are horses in heaven that need attending too. Rest in peace and God bless.
Always a pleasure to chat with Don…over the years…
Our mornings are not the same. Missing you, your CO OP family.