Support The Mackenzie Family - In Memory of Shaun

We live on a small cul de sac in Coldstream where everyone’s doors are open and kids are running from one house to the next as if they own this little ‘village’. Two years ago, the Mackenzie family moved in and it was a great addition to our little hood! Two more busy boys running around barefoot fitting in to the little gang on our street.

I feel like after several moves, Shaun and Michelle had finally found the home where they were going to settle down and raise the boys. Shaun seemed to always have a project going on at the house - getting the home and the yard exactly perfect for their little family, truly transforming this house in to their home.

On Tuesday, our street was shaken with the the tragic and sudden loss of our neighbour. Our community feels lost as to how to help this wonderful family.

Shaun was a friendly man. He was a hardworking man. A patient and engaged father. And a loving husband. The home will not be the same, as Shaun leaves behind his two sons, Logan, 9 and Brody, 7, his wife Michelle and his parents who recently moved to Canada so they could be closer to their grandsons. I remember how excited Shaun was when he told me they’d be doing some small renos on the house so that his parents would have a comfortable place to call home.

It is not uncommon to see ‘Bubba and Nanny’ walking the dog, Poppy, or helping out with the everyday activities with the kids, always with smiles on their faces.

Shaun and Michelle were always on the go, if they weren’t strapping the paddle boards to the truck, or putting the bikes on the back of the tailgate they were packing up their skis for a day on the slopes of Silverstar Mountain with the kids. It was evident that Shaun was thrilled to share all his outdoor passions with the boys.

As we sit here in the cul de sac, the boys are in and out of their house, each time sporting a different shirt of their dads - Logan currently wearing an oversized Blue Jays jersey with ‘Donaldson’ on the back. It makes sense they’d find this in Shaun’s closet as there were only a few times we saw him without a Blue Jays hat on. Brody is wearing a black Liverpool jersey which also makes perfect sense as he told us yesterday that ‘Sundays will never be the same without dad there watching soccer on the TV.’

I don’t know if Shaun knew it, but he made the rest of our neighborhood feel pretty lazy as he’d suit up for a bike ride, rain or shine, as his fitness routine had become such an important part of his everyday life. He was an inspiration - many of us admiring his energy and dedication. Michelle tells us that his next Peloton ride would have been his 600th ride. SIX HUNDRED! What an absolute accomplishment.

When we asked the boys to pick one word to describe Shaun they said ‘nice’. I think it’s fair to say that ‘nice’ sums up the gentle, kind, loving father that they were so lucky to have.

Michelle has not asked for help, but we are desperate to support her and feel this is the best way we can, especially knowing that their friends and family extend not only across the country, but across the globe. Raising a young family is a tough thing to do and we just want to alleviate a small stress so that Michelle can just focus on loving the boys and coming to terms with this awful reality.

Thank you for your generosity and for sharing this with friends.