Obituary of Donald E. Waldron

Died peacefully Tuesday, January 6, 2009 after a six-month illness with pancreatic cancer at the Hospital of St. Raphael, New Haven, Connecticut. Don was born 1948, in Saint John, New Brunswick, the son of Donald Edgar Waldron and Helen Grace (Mawhinney) Waldron and was a baptised member of the former Victoria Street Baptist Church. Don graduated from Saint John High School in 1966, from the University of New Brunswick with a BSc (1970) and MSc (1973), and later earned a PhD in Biology from Dalhousie University. As a Marine Biologist, Don was employed by the Dept of Fisheries and Oceans in Newfoundland from 1973 -1977 and the Bedford Institute of Oceanography from 1977 to 1993. Thereafter, he turned his talents to biostatistical work in the Life Sciences for various pharmaceutical companies and, more recently, with such prestigious universities as Rockefeller and Yale. His professional contributions have made a lasting impression on cancer and HIV/AIDS research. Don had a passion for life and lived everyday with an optimism and joy that touched the hearts of all those around him. He was incredibly proud of his family and, in addition to his parents, Don is survived by his wife Alpana (Gupta) Waldron; his four sons Christopher, John, Adam, Ethan, daughter Anne; his brother Arthur Waldron; his sister Margo (Waldron) Hall; and his former wife, Jane (MacDougall) Waldron. He was predeceased by an infant son Christopher Michael. Don will be sadly missed by all those who loved him so much. Resting at Brenan’s Select Community Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John, (506) 634-7424 with visiting on Saturday, January 10, 2009 from 1-3 pm and 5-7 pm. A celebration of his life will be held on Sunday, January 11, 2009 at Brenan’s Chapel at 1:30 pm. Interment will be in Maces Bay Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, tributes in memory of Don and his fight against cancer can be sent online to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at www.firstgiving.com/donaldewaldron or to the Canadian Cancer Society at www.cancer.ca and at Brenan’s Funeral Home website www.brenansfh.com