It is always difficult saying goodbye to someone we love and cherish.
Grant Bruce McDonald (Mac), of Didsbury, AB, passed away at the age of 62 at his home on Sunday, January 8, 2023, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
He was loved and cherished by many people, including his parents, George McDonald and Loise McDonald; his wife Lorraine; his children, Bryce McDonald, Jayce McDonald, Megan McDonald (Bryce Gray), Stephanie Kallis (Cody), Troy McDonald (Nicole Wiedman) and Blake McDonald (Justine); and his siblings, Craig McDonald (Barb) and Carol Zuckerman (Barry). He was also cherished by six beautiful grandchildren and many close friends.
He had a passion for horses. He cared for and showed five-gaited horses during his mid and late teens. He graduated from Didsbury High School in 1978. After high school, Grant attended Red Deer College for one year and then decided to join the family business “George McDonald Insurance”. He worked there for many years and eventually bought the business from his parents when they retired.
During his teens, Grant worked for several farmers around town. It was then that he found the only way to get to drive the combine was if he owned his own farm. In 1982-83 Grant started crop-sharing the 300 acres of land his parents owned with nothing but a 1972 John Deere 4020 Tractor. He worked hard building his own farm, “Poplar Wood Farms”, growing barley, canola and seed barley. Nothing made Grant so happy and content as did seeding in the spring and harvest in the fall.
Grant also had a need for speed. In the early 90s, Grant completed several open-wheeled racing schools with the goal of competing professionally. He eventually settled on racing legend race cars on the weekend so that he could stay close to his farm and family. Grant finally decided to slow down and started spending weekends at his cabin on the lake with his family. So many wonderful memories were made here.
He will truly be missed and will never, ever be forgotten.
