Donald Kjarsgaard, 94, of Enderby, BC passed away of natural causes on February 15^th, 2025. Don was born in Moose Jaw SK in 1930. His father died when he was 14 years old, so Don quit school to take care of his family and their business. Later he went on to self-educate himself and travel the world. While working as a lifeguard at the Banff Springs Hotel he met a lovely young lady named Marjorie who would become his wife. They were married April 2nd, 1954. The young couple moved to North Vancouver where they built a house and had three children.

Don excelled in university and gained a doctoral degree.  They moved to the United States where Don ultimately became a Vice Chancelor in Western Washington State University.  Working under extremely high pressure and with the Vietnam war underway the family decided to move back to the land in Canada. The next 40 years in the Kingfisher valley were the best of times.  Starting out with just a tent, the Kjarsgaard family homesteaded on 20 acres of forest. Don was an icon of the Kingfisher community, and his life touched so many people.  He and Marjorie founded the Kingfisher outdoor club and garnered enough funding to provide training and support for a whole generation of local kayakers and skiers.

Always passionate about education he served as School Trustee for the school district and assisted the Splatsin Band in educational programs. Don and Marjorie also ran a successful BnB called Country Cottages for many years.  Don possessed a brilliant mind and was described by some as a genius.  He was also a compassionate man and a vegetarian who cared deeply about the community and the land.  He served as a role model for many of us and we will be eternally grateful for having him in our lives.  Don was the patriarch of a large family including 3 children and their spouses Eric (Lynn), Valerie (Neil), Robert (Heather) and 5 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren.

Please join us as we celebrate Don’s amazing life at Kingfisher Hall, 3337 Mabel Lake Road, Enderby, on March 16, at 1 pm.