Donald Paul Fish

Donald Paul Fish (July 27, 1929 – May 16, 2022) – Don went home to be with the Lord in the

early hours of May 16, 2022. Born in China to British-Canadian medical missionaries Dr.

Edward and Nellie Fish, the youngest of four children, Don and his parents escaped Communist

rebels by escaping through the mountains when he was only six. He then attended Chefoo

boarding school before coming to Canada. After working a variety of jobs, Don moved to

Saskatoon to attend university where he received a Bachelor of Arts. He then returned to Toronto

where he married Marjorie Cowan as she finished her medical degree, and did a diploma in

hospital administration. Four sons soon followed: Robert (Sherri) was born just before the family

moved to Ottawa; Stephen (Lorraine) was born in Ottawa a year later, followed two years later

by Peter (Jill); David (Susan) was born after the family moved to work at the Grenfell Mission

Hospital in Newfoundland. Don and Marjorie then moved to Sherbrooke and Sudbury before

resettling in the Toronto area in the mid-1970s where Don became the administrator at the

Riverdale Hospital and then of a seniors home in Markham before moving into financial

planning and insurance. Don was always active in Christian work in the churches he attended, as

well as with the Gideons, Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, and the Christian Businessmen’s

Association. Don always had a ready laugh and a pleasant caring manner. He was very proud of

his sons, encouraging them in their various ventures, and praying for them. He followed with

interest the lives of his seven grandchildren, Kenneth, Michael, Victoria (Stephen Javelosa),

Nathan, Matthew, John, and Megan. Family and friends were always important to Don especially

after being isolated from his parents while at boarding school during the second World War. His

sons remember travelling across Canada and the United States as a family, and Don opening his

“brains” (planner) to figure out which of his many friends lived in that city. He and Marjorie

celebrated nearly sixty-four years of marriage and were an illustration of the Longfellow poem

he liked to quote at weddings: “As unto the bow the cord is, So unto the man is woman; Though

she bends him, she obeys him, Though she draws him, yet she follows: Useless each without the

other.” While his family and friends mourn his loss, we also celebrate, knowing he is now in

heaven with his Lord and Saviour. Funeral to be held on Friday May 20, 2022 at 1 pm at Chapel

Ridge (8911 Woodbine Ave, Markham) with visitation on Thursday May 19, 2022 from 6-9 pm

at Chapel Ridge. In Don’s memory, donations can be made to: ShareWord Global (formerly The

Gideons International In Canada).