Donald Leonard Clement, 75, of Carling Township, passed away suddenly at home, on Thursday, December 15th, 2022.

He was born to parents (Janet and Leonard) in Kirkland Lake, Ontario in 1947. Don was first trained to be a certified welder and later went on to be a certified engineering technologist (C.E.T) after having upgraded his education while attending night school and raising a family. After 25+ years with Ontario Hydro he eventually retired and went on to start his own consulting business for many years before finally retiring once and for all.

Don was predeceased by his wife Dana (nee Smith), of 43 years and shared his most recent years with his loving companion, Shirley. Don is survived by his two sons Aaron (Jill) and Dan, and his three grandchildren Ethan, Emma and Jack. Don was also predeceased by his youngest son Jon.

Georgian Bay, with its natural beauty and abundant wildlife was his favourite place to live, spend time with his family, enjoy hobbies, and love ‘Life on the Bay’. Family and local history were very important to Don and he would often be found deep in conversation with strangers and friends alike on these and many other topics. Don’s kind and friendly personality will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

A Celebration of Don’s Life will take place in the Logan Memorial Chapel on Thursday, December 22nd at 2:00 P.M, with visitation prior from 1:00 – 2:00 P.M. Reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Georgian Bay Land Trust, or to the Arthritis Society of Canada.

Condolences

We were so sad to hear of Don's sudden passing. We have always enjoyed Don's visits to the island and shared many laughs and stories with him over the years. The Bay will not be the same without Don's gentle laugh and easy-going ways.
Rest easy Don… we will miss you.
Love from Kate and Myles

I met Don through more than one avenue. His son Aaron married one of the daughter's of my Burling best friends, Anne and Warren McCrea. It turns out that I also knew Don's wife Dana when she was growing up. My most recent avenue was when he made Parry Sound area his permanent home as did my husband and I. Eventually we both joined Probus and I also knew Shirley, his companion. He was an lovely man and I enjoyed being in his company when he was the means of transportation to our Probus events. He will be missed a great deal by a good many people and my condolences go out to his family and the close people in his life. Rest in Peace, Don.

My very sincere condolences on your loss. Don was always a good and kind neighbour. He was there for us when we first started cottaging in 1986. I will always remember his thoughtfulness, his helpful advice, his positivity and his lovely sense of humour. I will miss him. May his soul forever Rest In Peace.

How sad to hear of Don’s passing. I first met Don in Arizona, when he came down to search for a place to spend his winters. We had many a friendly chat over the next three winters and he even came to Manitoulin on a couple of occasions, where he visited us. Don was a very meticulous man who dearly loved his family, his late wife and son and of course, Shirley. He loved the Bay and was a faithful attender of all things Carling. He will surely be missed. My deepest sympathies to those who grieve this loss. May God grant you His peace.

Our sincere condolences to all the family and close friends, Don was an amazing and dear friend and we spent many hours enjoying his colourful conversations. RIP friend you will be greatly missed.

I would like to express to Don’s family and friends what a wonderful person I found Don to be. Since I am the same age as Don and have been coming to the Bay all my life, Don and I shared many fond memories, and more recently enjoyed the company of mutual friends. His kindness will be sorely missed.

Your photo of Don at the helm of his pontoon boat is exactly how I would like to remember him. His love of the Bay was exemplified in all that he did for the Carling community. I shall forever miss his wise counsel, his wit and his enthusiasm. With sincere condolences to his family and his many friends. May he rest in peace.

I am very saddened to hear of Don's passing. I will miss his contributions to the WCA, as well as his always thoughtful observations on life on The Bay.

My sincerest condolences to Don’s family and friends. I served alongside Don on the WCA board for years, and my most treasured memory of him will be the time he camped with us on Franklin island, to secure the beach for our Annual WCA regatta the next day. It was a Blue Moon (which Don would tell you, in his roundabout way, is the second full moon in the same calendar month). He was great with our dogs and 3 kids, and made the whole thing more fun and interesting! We Will miss him dearly.
Adrian

We were shocked and saddened to hear of Don's sudden passing. He was a very kind hearted man with a welcoming nature. He had such a wealth of knowledge about the area where he turned his family cottage into his permanent home. We appreciated his passion for the area and his willingness to share information and pictures from the past. We count ourselves lucky to have known Don and enjoyed our many chats together over the years. We will miss him greatly. With heartfelt sympathy to Don's family and Shirley,
Johanne (nee Fisker) & Geoff Smolarz and family from the neighbouring bay.

I was very saddened to hear of Don's passing. I'm one of his cottage neighbours. Don was a terrific guy. My thoughts are with your family.

Don always had great stories he loved to share and we loved to hear them. We'll miss seeing him wave hello to us from his boat as he passed by Rochelle Is.
Rod & Pam

Aaron and Dan my heart is with you in your time of grief. Uncle Donald will live on in memories and through you guys and your children…..so sorry for your loss…..big hugs cousins😢🙏🏽

Deep condolences to all of Don's family and Shirley. Don was a fixture in the Dillon/Sand Bay area. He was the pipeline to what was going on in Carling and at our council meetings. He demonstrated his great capacity for caring when his mother-in-law and wife Dana were ill. He was right there when needed. I appreciated his enthusiasm for my dogsled team and our participation in the Seguin Sleddog Mailrun. I will miss my encounters with Don. He was a real gentleman and a community pillar. RIP Don

Although I did not know Don well, he was always a pleasure to chat with when kayaking past his dock. It was never just hello, it was always a good half hour pause to get caught up on happenings on the Bay. He will be truly missed. My deepest condolences to family and friends.

Condolences to the family. I met Don in Arizona on his BMW. He knew some very obscure spots for good food at mom and pop cafes avoiding chain restaurants. He spoke often of the beauty in the Parry Sound area. Rest Easy Sir.

Don Clement was a very special person. Kind, caring, considerate, helpful…& I could go on. He will be missed by all who knew him. I am very saddened by his departure, & hope that I meet up with him again. My sincere condolences to his Family & friends
Jim Bunsch

My sincerest condolences to Don’s family and friends. I had the opportunity to work and learn from Don over the years. His experience, professionalism and patience was shared with a wonderful sense of humour and story telling ability.
Stefan Salij

I knew Don quite well, and done some bulldozer work at the family cottage in 1963. He was well known in Carling Township and will be greatly missed.

Don was a mentor to me in my early days as a nuclear auditor. I will always appreciate the guidance and patience Don afforded me and his high brow humour. Rest In Peace my friend…you were one of the good ones.

So sorry to hear of the passing of Don. He was the first neighbor we met after moving on to our island to the south of Don's house in 2010. We will miss our many conversations and his knowledge of the history of the Dillon area. You will be missed.
Paul and Kelly.

Dear Aaron & Jill, Dan, Ethan, Emma, Jack and Shirley.
Kevin & I send you all our sincerest condolences for the loss of your Father, Father-In-Law and dear Grandpa. Uncle Don was such a honourable man with a very kind heart. He was always there to help anyone out in our family in times of need. Especially for my Mother (Karin) his sister-in-law during the final days of her life. He will be greatly missed!
Kevin, Lee, Josh and Mitch Fields

My wife Leslie enjoyed summers on the Bay and was a teenage friend of Don’s in the 1960’s. Our paths crossed many times and we enjoyed conversations and interactions with Don He had a vast knowledge of events in the area and knew a huge number of people and could retell many tales about people and properties in the area. Our big regret is that due to Covid we didn’t see him often enough these past 3 summers.

Bill and I join with you all in sorrow for the passing of your companion friend mentor, dad and granddad and share in the loss you are all experiencing. We are sorry to be unable to attend the service and share in the many great stories there will be about Don. This community will be diminished by his passing.
Bill and Barb Davis

I was saddened to learn of Don’s passing. He attended many Township Council meetings which is how I came to know him.
His occasional contributions at these meetings were always well received by the council members.
He told me that really enjoyed attending the council meetings and appreciated hearing and seeing first hand the political business of The Township.
The occasional one on one chats with Don were informative and enjoyable.
My condolences to his family.
Steve Crookshank

Very sorry to hear of Don's passing, my condolences to his family. I knew Don through working with him on several audits over the last 15 years, and really enjoyed his company, and his vast knowledge. He was so easy going, yet confident, that he made audits look easy, which they are not. He will certainly be missed. Don, rest in peace.

I'm so sad to hear of your dad's passing Dan. My prayers and condolences are with you and your family.

Very sad to hear of Don's sudden passing. I had the pleasure of working with Don during his time at Ontario Hydro.
Always had a zest for life, never lacking a good story or opinion.
Very conscientius, reliable, and positive through life ups and downs.
Quoting one of Don's favourite saying "salt of the earth type of guy". That was Don.
My deep condolences to family and friends.
Rest in peace, Don

Danny Morosin

We were very sorry to hear of Don's passing. He was a wonderful friend and neighbour. Each year when he came to our Canada Day brunch, he first rode his motorcycle to Rosseau to pick up some of his favourite butter tarts to share with everyone. We will miss sharing stories with him about the events and people we remembered from our days growing up on the Bay.
We send sincere condolences to Shirley, Aaron, Dan, and their families.

John & Anne North

Met Don many years ago on my walks around the loop. My loop took me close to Don’s home. We met on the road and solved many of the world’s problems. Anita knew when I was an hour late who I had met We became close friends and talked often about issues and cottage life. I developed great respect for Don. Our calls where never short. I offer deepest sympathy’s to family. He was ,and always will be a “ special” friend.
Al & Anita

The news took my breath away. I know Don from his regular attendance at council meetings, followed by many phone conversations. He will be missed deeply. Sending my sincerest condolences.
Debbie Crocker

I enjoyed working with Don on several Ontario Power work assignments. Don was always a stickler for detail and a welcome addition to the team. Our time together was always a positive experience and I am sad to hear of his passing.
Andy Albertowicz

We were shocked and extremely sadden to hear of the passing of Don. I have know Don since we were kids and spent endless hours together at Clement's place or Loafers Paradise Island reading comics, playing card games and just hanging around pestering our parents. Over the years we have had great times together just talking about the old times. I will miss those times and the great friendship we shared. My heart goes out to his family and Shirley at their loss. Don will be greatly missed in all of our lives.

Don was so well liked and greatly respected by his Carling community. He enjoyed a life well lived. I'll miss our long conversations. Rest in peace Don. My sincere condolences to his family and companion Shirley.

So saddened by Don's passing, he was a gracious gentleman, wealth of knowledge and possessed a curiosity to know how everything worked. I met Don through the West Carling Association and his work as observer at Carling Council. I could always rely on Don to explain it all to me the next day. I will miss him greatly. Bruce and Jennifer

I will remember Don for his great compassion. I observed, in awe, his devotion to Dana and his mother-in-law as he nursed and gave so unselfishly of himself. I am inspired still, by his adventurous spirit and keen interest in the world around him. I watched humbly, as he picked himself up after losing Dana, Jon and his mother-in-law in the space of a year. Sharing tea together to help ease his grief. It is rare that someone can really see you and ask, with sincerity, how you are doing. It was one of Don's greatest gifts. Empathy, honed from his own many life experiences. Like everyone, I will miss his stories of the bay and no Don, I still do not know of that person or the name of that island or where it is. I sure miss you, realizing the true friend I had. Aaron, Dan and fam, what a beautiful service and send off you gave him. "Integrity" is truly his legacy. He is always in your hearts.

Don took us out in his pontoon boat in September. How proud he was to show us his part of the Bay! We were lucky to have him join us later in the fall for the wild game night in Parry Sound where he entertained us, as always, with stories of his history on his much-loved Georgian Bay. He also shared with us his love of his sons and grandchildren! Our sincere condolences to you all, & to Shirley. Don was much loved, and will be much missed! Brian & Cheri

We have been Don's "summer neighbours" for over ten years and were very sorry to hear of his passing. He was such a great source for local lore and information, and would always send us pictures in the winter of various animal visitors to our island that he could see from his window. They don't make 'em like that anymore'. We will miss him.