Donavon James Nelson

Celebrating the life of an amazing man, who was taken from us far too soon, is difficult. Donavon passed very peacefully, surrounded by so much love from his wife, Dianna, and their three incredible children, Lacey, Elliott and Julian.

Donavon often liked to say “This is Living!” and he lived every moment to the fullest. Swimming at the pool with the Masters, or at his favourite spot on Kalamalka Lake; cutting up the water on his skis; cross-country skiing where-ever he could find a trail; downhill skiing in the mountains, biking, scuba-diving, snorkelling – he did it all and made many friends along the way.

Donavon began his long and successful career with Sask Power as a lineman, then moved up the ranks until he retired in 2018, as Director of Distribution Operations and Maintenance (South) in Regina, after being with the company for 39 years.

Fitness and health were both important to Donavon and he was active all his life. He and his brothers were known for their antics on their unicycles and, along with some close friends, they formed a Unicycle Club called the ‘One Wheel Riders’. They rode in various parades including the Calgary Stampede, Grey Cup and many other local venues. He passed that talent on to his two sons and the three of them have rode together. Donavon was still able to get on that 6-footer last summer and put on a performance for a crew at the lake. He participated in various triathlons back in his 30’s and continued his love for swimming when he joined the Master’s Swim Club in Saskatoon. That passion carried on when he and his family moved to Regina in 2013 where he swam with the Regina Masters up until last fall.

Getting out on his boat was always something to look forward to every summer at the lake and Donavon never tired of taking people for tours on the boat, while the tunes played and everyone told stories. From young toddlers to the elderly, he made sure everyone was included. And he loved the opportunity to teach all ages how to ski, wakeboard, kneeboard, paddleboard and made endless trips around the lake with every kind of tube you can imagine while bodies flailed, and screamed and laughed and always shouted for more.

Donavon also loved photography and he and his wife, Dianna, started a small side-line photography business in Watrous and continued that when they moved to Weyburn. As their children grew, life as parents soon became their primary focus, so they chose to retire from their photography business when they moved to Prince Albert in the fall of 1996. Donavon devoted his time to family and work in Prince Albert and in 2007 his job took them to Saskatoon. Continuing to move up the ladder they moved to Regina in 2013 where he worked until retirement.

Over the years Donavon became quite interested in woodworking and when he retired, he began to focus more on helping Dianna with her retail home décor shop and he continually repaired and revamped furniture pieces for her to paint and sell, as well as building unique items such as wall shelves, tables and benches for the store. They were a good team and between the two of them they have created many one-of-a-kind pieces.

Donavon was always game to try just about anything and decided to take up Spanish when he and Dianna started to plan his ‘retirement’ trip to Columbia. He even enrolled for two weeks at a school in Medellin to focus on his Spanish.

Everywhere Donavon went he made friends because of his positive ‘go-getter’ attitude and his warm and caring personality. Whether you just met him or knew him for years you felt comfortable in his presence. He had great style and was known for his amazing ‘flow’ and ‘cool’ glasses. Some of the ways friends and family describe Donavon are that he had such an exuberance for life; he was such a gift to the world and everyone he came in contact with; one-of-a-kind; warm, kind, supportive, energetic; lived life to the fullest; life of the party; truly a beautiful man; great sense of humour; a very special man – and he was all of these things and more.

Donavon fought a hard, but short battle with cancer and is survived by his loving wife, Dianna; their three children – daughter, Lacey (Lewis) Cambridge and grandson Teddy (Theodore); sons, Elliott Nelson (Olivia), and Julian Nelson (Yasmine); loving mother, Irene Nelson; sisters, Corinne (Dave) Griffin, Barbara (Ken) Westhaver; brothers, Gerard Nelson (Brenda), Greg Nelson (Pam), Phil Nelson (Jodie); brothers-in-law, Ron Chin (Mei-lan), Don Chin (Pam), Randy Chin (Donna), Dean McCullough; sisters-in-law, Kelly (Larry) Henderson, Tianna (Chris) Delair, Brandy (Andres) Schillaci, Tiana (Monty) Bonin, and Christine (Doug) Ritchie; as well as many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and a very long list of life-long friends and co-workers. Donavon was pre-deceased by his father, Gordon Nelson; brothers, Dwayne Nelson and Jack Nelson; father-in-law, Thomas Chin; and mother-in-law, Marlene Szabados.

Donavon dedicated his life to being the most loving husband and father. He was so proud of his three amazing children and cherished every moment spent with them. They will hold those moments dear to their hearts forever, as he will continue to be a strong force in their lives and Dianna’s. He loved his grandson dearly and shared many hugs with him right through his last day.

There will be a Celebration of Donavon’s life on Sunday, August 30^th at the WA WA Shriners Hall, 2065 Hamilton Street, Regina – 2:00-7:00 p.m. Doors will open at 2:00 and the family welcomes you to mingle and get settled. A short program will begin at 2:30, followed by an ‘open mic’, and then the floor will open to stories and reminiscing in honour of Donavon. (We will have a rotating slide show running throughout the afternoon.)

We welcome anyone whose lives he touched to attend. This will be a casual event focused on celebrating and remembering this special man.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan, Allan Blair Cancer Centre, Regina, in Donavon’s name.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to everyone at the Allan Blair Cancer Centre; Pasqua Hospital ER, ICU and Palliative Care units; and the Home Care Treatment Centre for their care and compassion towards Donavon during his battle with Cancer.

Thank you to Jan Porten at Sage Funeral Home for her kindness, empathy and guidance during a difficult time for our family.