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Donni Lynne Derr
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<div itemprop="description">Donni Lynne, arrived in Wainwright, Alberta on January 12, 1945 and departed from Ladner, BC on August 7, 2013. <br /> <br />Our dearly beloved Donni will be forever a part of us. She was a gentle soul, one who will be missed by all creatures, great and small. <br /> <br />Forever Our Love: <br />Mar and Mike Harper, <br />Gayle and Dave Burgess, <br />Wayne, Paula, Zakarie and Kazlin Gruden, <br />Arie, Moya, Michael and Chase Merrin, <br />Aaron, Lana, Olivia and Evan Burgess, <br />Susan, Tara and Vanessa Nordin; <br />the finest of Aunties, Uncles, Cousins and all her many wonderful friends. <br /> <br />Though Donni encountered many difficulties in life, she eventually overcame deep-seated fears to rejoin circles of friends and to make many new ones. Donni&rsquo;s interests were boundless, her curiosity stoked by the tiniest of details from the way a leaf landed on the ground to the amazement at the surf pounding huge seashells into sand. She also demonstrated a joyful and instinctive sense of humour. She was a sensitive being, feeling pain if witnessing any form of cruelty to any creature or person alike. <br /> <br />Donni&rsquo;s childhood angst often kept her from pursuing many interests, yet she found the courage to train as a Nurse&rsquo;s Aide and LPN. She loved nursing and in particular gravitated to those hospitals that treated many of the most helpless. <br /> <br />From the early 60&rsquo;s to the late 70&rsquo;s, Donni worked at Burns Lake Hospital and spoke about that time as some of the best days of her life. She worked in both private and public hospitals that included VGH, Grace, St. Paul&rsquo;s, Sunny Hill Hospital for Children, Burnaby General and Lion&rsquo;s Gate, where she followed her passion to care for others. <br /> <br />With her career cut short by a very serious car accident, that left her with life-long spinal pain, Donni continued to volunteer for groups that rescued all creatures. Wildlife Rescue Association honored her contributions towards saving injured and orphaned wildlife from 1989 to 2000. During that time, Donni also completed a Counseling degree and helped many damaged individuals to reveal their strengths rather than give in to cycles of self-harm. <br /> <br />In 2007, Donni moved to Ladner and was proud to be a volunteer coach for participants in the Disabled Olympics group. At the Leisure Centre, she was gifted with awesome friends who shared that precious time where she blossomed in full. Thank you Debbie. She visited her cats, Hannah, Huey and Cara at RAPS and found life-long friends there. Thank you Carol. <br /> <br />Diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in 2011, she did well through to her birthday in 2013. In her final six months of life however, Donni waged her fiercest battle &ndash; a cruelly disguised and rare syndrome resulting from the cancer. Then, as August rolled in&hellip;out of nowhere, Donni reached out to a waiting Hand and travelled from this life to the next. <br /> <br />We&rsquo;ll be seeing you, McGee. <br /> <br />Our thanks to the staff at Delta Hospital, the entire staff at Mountain View Manor, to Drs. Adriana Wong and Margaret Krawchuk, and to the Save-On Pharmaceutical staff. <br /> <br />In lieu of flowers, kindly donate to your favourite group or to RAPS, Richmond Animal Protection Society; www.rapsociety.com. <br /> <br />Maitri, Loving Kindness <br /> <br />The Pocket Pema Ch&ouml;dr&ouml;n, SHAMBHALA, Boston &amp; London 2008 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /></div>