1952 - 2017
DOUGLAS DALE HARRISON passed away into the presence of his Lord on January 5, 2017 surrounded by family and friends after over a year long battle with cancer.
Doug is predeceased by his father, Irvin (2008), his sister, Gayle (1950) and his favorite pets Tac and Chloe.
Doug is survived by his loving wife Minda; daughter Vanessa Mae; stepson Sherwin Balalio (Telisha); stepson Rhamil Balalio (Saira); mother Blanche of Kelowna; brother Dave(Diane) of Kelowna; niece Suzy of Armstrong; nephew Robert (Brittany) of Kelowna; sister-in-law Leona of Armstrong; step grandkids -Jazlynn Balalio, Geano Balalio, Brianna Balalio, Jayden Balalio, Adrianna Balalio, Kasia Balalio, Keano Balalio; and his loving dogs Yuki and Yoshi.
Doug was born on May 4, 1952 in Sarnia, Ontario. He grew up on a farm outside of Sarnia. His family then moved to Chatham, Sarnia, North Vancouver and back to Chatham. In 1971, Doug graduated high school from Tecumseh Secondary School in Chatham, Ontario. He spent a year in Forestry at Sir Sanford Fleming College in Lindsay, Ontario. In 1972, he was accepted to BCIT, Vancouver, BC in Forestry.
In 1973, he got his first Forestry job in Zeballos. In 1977, he went on to build log homes in Barhead, Alberta and Penticton, BC. He returned to Zeballos in 1980 to continue his career in Forestry. Doug spent his working career in the forest industry. He worked a number of years as a logging engineer in Zeballos before moving to Weldwood in 1990, where Doug was area engineer for the Security Bay operation. Following the purchase of the Weldwood operations by Interfor in 1995, Doug performed a number of forest engineering duties until his illness forced him to discontinue work in early 2016. Doug will be remembered for his dedication to the job, attention to detail and above all his ability to mentor and develop the careers of young foresters.
Doug enjoyed outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, playing all sorts of sports and nature photography. In the early/mid 1990’s Doug would go out fishing after hours while in camp. He liked to keep the garden and lawn in good shape. He enjoyed the forestry engineering bush work to the point that it became a hobby. He really missed the field part of his job in the last number of years.
Doug was a devoted family man. He would just drop everything he was doing when someone needed him.
The family would like to thank his Oncology team headed by Dr. Kollmansberger at BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver; Dr. Wayne Crowe; all the staff at Campbell River General Hospital, home care nurses and home support team who took such wonderful care of Doug. The family would also like to thank all the family friends who brought food and support to our family.
A special thanks goes to Dr. Valmiki Veerapen for his care and concern.
At Doug’s request, he will be cremated and a Celebration of Life will be held on February 4, 2017 @ 11:00 am at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church Building Fund in Campbell River will be gratefully accepted.