Craw, Donald Alan — Don was born on September 4, 1929 in Launceston, Tasmania to G. Alan and Ida E. (Walker) Craw and passed away on March 31, 2011 in Sidney, BC.
He was predeceased by his son David in 1996 and is survived by his loving wife, Lillian (Rombough), his daughter Debbie, his son Brian, and his brother Bill (Cynthia) in Tasmania. He had numerous cousins, nieces and nephews in Canada and Australia.
Don graduated from the University of Tasmania with a PhD in chemistry in 1953 and upon receiving a Post-Doctorate Fellowship with the National Research Council, Ottawa, moved to Canada where he joined the Division of Applied Chemistry. He joined the Technical Research Centre of Cominco in Trail, BC in Feb 1956 and married Lillian on May 12, 1956 in Ottawa. In 1965 he was transferred to Corporate Planning of Cominco in Montreal. In 1969 he was seconded by Canadian Pacific as Asst Gen Mgr of the newly formed ShelPac Research Development in Toronto where in 1973 he was appointed General Manager.
In 1976, Don returned to Cominco in Trail where he was appointed Chief Chemist. In 1984 he was Assistant to the President, Cominco Electronic Materials in Trail, moving later that year to join Cominco Electronic Materials Inc. in Spokane, WA. He retired in 1989 and in 1993 returned to Canada, residing in Victoria, and later in Sidney, BC.
Don was a Life Member of the Chemical Institute of Canada and was the Chairman of the Western Regional Conference held in Trail in 1963. He was also a Life Member of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Don was active in the Trail and District Chamber of Commerce, serving as President in 1980-81.
He will be remembered for his love of carpentry and was never happier than when he was creating and fixing things at his workshop bench for family and friends.
Don and Lillian travelled widely.
A Celebration to honour Don’s life is scheduled for April 8 at the chapel at the Royal Oak Cemetery in Victoria, BC at 1:30pm. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the BC Cancer Agency. Many thanks to the doctors, nurses, and volunteers at the Palliative Care Unit of the Saanich Peninsula Hospital.