Obituary of Donald James "Don" Darby

DARBY: Donald James "Don" - A resident of Chatham, and formerly of Hamilton and Sarnia, Don Darby passed away peacefully at Riverview Gardens in Chatham on Wednesday, May 25, 2016 at the age of 84. Born in Hamilton, Don was the son of the late J.W. Allen and Jean (Fowler) Darby. Beloved husband of Betty Darby (nee Smythe) and the late Patricia Darby (nee Genesiee) (1990). Loving father of Dennis Darby (Martha) of Toronto and Peter Darby (Janet) of Hamilton . Father-in-law to Janine Darby. Step-father to Lucy Knight (Rob) of Chatham and Rosemary Bellemore of Chatham. Proud grandfather of Andrew Darby, Christina Darby; Angelica Darby, Cassandra Darby and Rebecca Darby; Rob Knight (Lisa), Mike Knight (Angie), Dan Knight; Teresa Scherer (Scott), Nicholas Bellemore (Lyndsay) and Lee Bellemore (Christine). Great-grandfather to William Knight. Dear brother to Kent Darby (Sandy) of Sarnia. Predeceased by his granddaughter Katie Darby, sister Marlyn Darby and son-in-law Joe Bellemore. Also missed by many nieces, nephews, friends and extended family. Don liked watching CFL and was an avid Tiger-Cats fan. He thoroughly enjoyed fishing up at the cottage on Sturgeon Lake with his family and friends. Don enjoyed his time as a member of the Chatham Optimist Club and the Knights of Columbus. He was a talented singer, and a former member of the Chorsum Choir in Sarnia as well as the St. Margaret Mary Church Choir and the St. Margaret Mary Variety Shows with Mary Templeton in Hamilton. Family will receive friends at the Funeral Home, 459 St. Clair Street Chatham on Saturday, May 28, 2016 from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Knights of Columbus will offer prayers at 3:00 p.m. Cremation will take place with a Funeral Mass to be held at St. Margaret Mary Church, 20 Idlewood Ave, Hamilton at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 with Fr. Jeff Bergsma celebrant. Interment to follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Burlington. Special thanks to the staff at Riverview Gardens for their care and kindness over the years. Donations made in memory of Don to the C.N.I.B or Canadian Diabetes Association would be appreciated. Online condolences may be left at www.mckinlayfuneralhome.com <iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/168486948" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="https://vimeo.com/168486948">Donald Darby</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user27484248">McKinlay Funeral Homes Ltd.</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>