Donald "Don" Currie

Donald (Don) John Currie, 80 of Barrie, Ontario passed away peacefully on July 5, 2026 at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre

He was born on June 5, 1946 in Hamilton, Ontario to Jean Elizabeth Florence Currie and John Allen Currie

Don was very active in sports and "attended" school. His passions were hockey, football and especially baseball which he played all through elementary and high school. His baseball career culminated in a very near opportunity to make it to the little league championship of North America.

When Don was nine years old he met the one that would become the love of his life. His neighbour and one year junior lived across and down the road from him. The two would be friends which would eventually turn into something much much more. This was of course was Jan McCahill and the two would know each other and eventually build a life together for the next 70 years.

In 1967 Don and Jan were married on October 14th and would have celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary this year.

In 1969 they welcomed the first of two children Melissa Jean Currie, and later in 1972 Andrew (Drew) Fraser George Allen Currie.

In 1990 Don and Jan welcomed their God children into their home for a time. Jordan and Jade became part of the Currie clan during that time and they remain part of our family to this day.

Don was a natural salesmen, he did try to work in a factory and the lore goes that his father did not think that he would last a year in a factory job. Don said that he lasted a year and a day just to prove a point. He then went onto an extensive list of sales and sales related jobs through an interesting career journey. In the late sixties and early seventies Don started selling cash registers for National Cash register, he then moved onto men’s hat sales for Calhoun Hats, he also moonlighted as a bartender after the birth of their second child.

Later in the mid - seventies these experiences led him to his next move into pharmaceutical sales, with Elliott Marion, Rhone-Poulanc, Syntex and finally Ayerst, during this phase of his career that took him into the late eighties, he loved to simply say that he "sold drugs".

Then in the early nineties he moved onto window and door sales for a company that he was a partner in for many years. This company ended in the late nineties and he pivoted again into the radio business where he worked for Evanov Radio Group up until the early 2000's.

From there on was a smorgasbords of sales related jobs which ended in his last career move, that of being a limousine driver. This job he liked the most as it combined two of his favorite things: driving a nice car and telling stories. He really enjoyed all the people that he met in this job and all of the different adventures that they were going on that required a limo.

On April 29, 2022 Don took a fall and he was found to have a large tumor on his brain. He underwent emergency brain surgery at St Mikes' hospital in Toronto on April 30th and after that he was never really the same. His family was very thankful that they had four more years with him, but as a result of the surgery and the removal of his pituitary gland he was on major medications to try and balance out that gland's function. Don also suffered from short term memory loss soon after the operation and the loss of the ability to drive which was very very difficult for him. His role as a provider and helper to his family drastically changed and this really affected him in so many ways. He often told his family how frustrated he was that he just could not do the things that he wanted to do and that he used to take for granted in the past. We share this with you so that you might take something from it, sometimes things happen and your life can change in an instant, so take the opportunities when they come, enjoy the moments, say yes to the invitation, enjoy one another’s company and every day that really is a gift from God, and be thankful that with each day there is a new opportunity to celebrate life.

Poppa Don will be greatly missed by his wife Jan, daughter Melissa, son Drew, daughter-in-law Alison, grandchildren Matthew, Marlee, Cierra, Mitchell and Mackale, brother Ian and sister in-law Glenys, sister-in law Lynn Martin, niece Cheryl Thompson and nephew Craig (Gina) Thompson, niece Brenda (Greg) Whiteman, and Samantha (Tristan) Whiteman and Tammy Beamish and family, Al, Allison and Kinsey Mercer, and Jade Smith and Jordan Macgregor and many more nieces, nephews and their children.

Celebration of Life

October 18th, 2026

2:00pm to 4:00pm

A program will commence at 2:00pm with refreshments afterwards

Traditions Banquet Hall

142 John Street, Barrie, ON