On February 2, 2022, Donald Macnab died peacefully at home, exactly as he wished.
Donald will be dearly missed by his wife Susan, his children and their partners, Erin (Adam), Andreas (Alejandra) and Caitlin (Jeremy), as well as his grandchildren Ewan and Ellie. He was a cherished brother to his siblings Neil, Kathleen, and Colin, and their families, and is predeceased by his brother Jed, his mother Catherine, his father Donald and his first wife, Gisela Forchner. He is remembered by his siblings-in-law, Jörg, Siggi and their families in Germany, and Jerry, Larry and their families in the United States. His dear friends of many years grieve his passing as well, especially his “Edmonton family,” Dennis and Patricia Edney and their sons.
Donald was born in Dumbarton, Scotland, and grew up in Clydebank, Scotland. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, a Master’s degree in Computer Science and Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast, and a PhD in Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta. He moved to Edmonton in 1978, and in 1981 he helped build Psychometrics Canada. As a research psychologist, he designed and managed all psychometric and technical requirements of in-company test products and oversaw test development and psychometric activities. He retired from Psychometrics in 2014 as Director of Development.
Tough-minded and warm-hearted, Donald was deeply compassionate, generous, and loving. Incredibly loyal to his family and friends, you could always count on Donald to be there. His true love outside of family and friends was the beautiful game – soccer. He intensely disliked crowds, except when it meant seeing Scotland play or travelling to the European and World Cups. He was a prolific lover of books, and had the soul of an artist, pursuing photography, painting, and art collecting. He was curious about the world – he loved to travel, to learn and to engage with politics and the news.
In the past ten years of his life, Donald received extraordinary health care. We would like to express deep thanks to the doctors and nurses at the Cross Cancer Institute, especially Dr. Naveen Basappa, as well as his family physician Dr. Lee-Ann Jansma.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Kidney Cancer Canada and the Alberta Cancer Foundation in support of the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton. A gathering of family and friends will be held later this year to honour this very special man. Timor Omnis Abesto.
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