Obituary of Donald George Konschuh

May 30^th/1934 Didsbury, Alberta
May 19^th/2021 Cranbrook, British Columbia
 

It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of our beloved husband and dad, Don. He passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family. Don was 11 days shy of his 87^th birthday, he lived a very fulfilling life.

Don was born on a farm west of Didsbury, Alberta, the eldest son of Adam and Marie Konschuh. He worked various jobs in his younger years from gravel crushing, the CPR and finally settling into the AGT. He worked in several different departments during his 30 years with AGT. He began climbing telephone poles, and in his final years with the company he was an investigator.

He met and married Andrea Mikkelsen in April of 1960. They would spend the next 61 years together, Don fondly referred to Andrea as the wind in his sails. Together they raised two amazing children, Darrell and Lesli.

In 1988 he took his first retirement. He and Andrea moved to the S-Half Diamond Ranch where they spent the next 9 years living on Premier Lake. Don enjoyed his life at the ranch and made many dear friends and memories along the way. He would spend time using his binoculars to look for wildlife along the mountain range surrounding the ranch. He had a love for all the wildlife, perhaps his least favourite being those damn packrats. Don and Andrea retired to a beautiful home on the Skookumchuck prairie in 1995. The view of the Rocky Mountains and watching all the wildlife that would come onto the property brought both him and Andrea joy.

Don loved helping people in any way he could. He took great pride in his time with the Wasa Lion’s and was awarded various awards, such as the Melvin Jones Fellow. He and Andrea would later travel to the Lion’s head office in Illinois so Don could see his and fellow Wasa Lions members names in lights, which was a proud moment for him.

 

Don loved to travel and saw many parts of this world, from Denmark, Barbados, and much of Canada. He and Andrea spent many winters in Arizona, including one winter when they spent two weeks in a Guatemalan refugee camp located in Mexico.

Nothing brought him more joy than his children and three grandkids. He treasured the annual camping trips family would make to the house, and very much look forward to family reunions spent with aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, brothers, and sisters. Family was so dear to him.

One of his hobbies was wood working. Throughout his years he would tackle many projects including beautiful bookshelves for Andrea. He and along with fellow Lion’s members constructed several water wheels. The water wheels were then donated for raffle at the annual Wasa fun days. One remains at the peaceful setting of the Wasa memorial gardens to this day.

His warm smile and unique contagious laugh showed his zest for life. He always had a story to tell or a joke to share. He loved children and one of his favourite things was to give out tractor rides. Words can not describe who Don was, he was the essence of life. He had such an amazing life and met many lasting friends along the way. How lucky and fortunate we are to have had him touch our lives. The world feels just a little smaller now, he will be missed so dearly.

Don was predeceased by his parents, two brothers, and three sisters. He leaves behind his loving wife Andrea, son Darrell (Leslie), daughter Lesli, grandkids Mitchell, Meaghan, Liam, his sister Judy (Vern), along with many nieces, nephews, and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wasa Lions or the Salvation Army.

A Celebration of Life is being planned for July 31, 2021 at 1pm. The service will be held at the open-air Wasa Lion’s Complex.

Arrangements entrusted to McPherson Funeral Services.

Condolences for the family can be offered at:

www.mcphersonfh.com