MacDONALD, Drake
1951-2018
William Drake MacDonald passed away in hospital after a brief illness on Monday July 23 at the age of 67. Beloved husband of Jeanne d’Arc (née Aubin) and loving father to Suzanne MacDonald and Patricia MacDonald (Brendan Gorman).
Proud grandfather of Kyle Edward Gorman and Quinn William Gorman.
Loving son of his mother Aphridite (Freda) (née Vasilopoulos). Dear brother to Leslie MacDonald and Brent (Floyd) MacDonald. He will be dearly remembered by his nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends. Pre-deceased by his father Hector Arthur Reginald MacDonald.
Drake was outgoing and outspoken. He was a big guy, with a big personality to match.
In his career, he was driven and ambitious without being competitive. He wanted to be successful for personal growth, but also because he felt he had something to offer. If he joined a company or an organization he was ‘all in’. Their success was his success and he would do whatever he could to make a difference.
Throughout his years of working and volunteering, he was truly supportive of those that he saw something in. He would take people under his wing to help them in their careers long after they worked for him. He was lucky enough to count many of them as true friends after he retired.
Retirement was hard for Drake. He missed having that kind of tangible impact, but he never stopped trying to make a difference in people’s lives. Drake would go out of his way to share his insights and knowledge with you, whether you were close family, a friend or even the grocery clerk he just met. He wanted to help everyone by sharing what he knew. He was the research king. If you mentioned something to him in casual conversation, the next time you saw him he was an expert. Not out of competitiveness, but out of wanting to help and a curiosity about new things. When his grandkids arrived, Drake was so happy to be able to shift his focus onto teaching them and having an impact on the next generation.
He loved his toys, whether it was the latest tv, device, or a new motorcycle, convertible or Jeep. He wanted to experience life to the fullest and take his family and friends along with him for the ride. He was lucky enough to see a lot of the world through work travel. He was disappointed not to be able to travel more in his retirement, but he made the most of what he was able to do. If he was only able to go to Kingston or Gananoque, he was going to go there in a convertible and eat at the most interesting restaurant in town.
Drake loved to cook. Feeding family was his way of showing that he cared. In his last years, when he got a new grandson (who he loved more than all of us), he listened to the anxious new mother who was concerned about added salt and sugar and made soup from scratch, sheets and sheets of chicken fingers from scratch, researched new baby food recipes and made sure that he was the one to cook for and feed Kyle on his regular visits even when he wasn’t feeling well. It was important to him and he considered it to be his job as a Grandpa. He couldn’t wait to do the same for baby Quinn.
Many of us shared his passion for food and cooking and it’s something that we would do together. Drake was the hub of our family. He was the one who spoke with everyone, coordinated plans, dispersed the news of the day and kept us all connected. We will all cook together during family gatherings in the coming year and think of him, while forging new connections now that that hub is gone. He would have wanted nothing less.
Friends are invited to a Celebration of Life and Memorial Service at Grace Presbyterian Church, 1220 Old Tenth Line Road in Orleans Tuesday, August 7th at 11:00 a.m.
We invite all that knew Drake to use this website to share their anecdotes and memories of him. The family truly looks forward to hearing old and new stories from the perspective of people whose lives were impacted by Drake. We know who he was to us, but can’t wait to learn who he was to you to keep his memory alive.
In memory of Drake, donations can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (www.heartandstroke.ca).