Obituary of Donald James Eldershaw

Donald James Eldershaw, age 74, of Mill Cove, passed away at the Halifax Infirmary on July 28, 2025 after a brief illness. He was born December 31, 1950 to the late Donald and Margaret (Purcell) Eldershaw.
Born in Smiths Falls, Ontario, he spent his first few years there before moving to Nova Scotia where he remained.

Don, known widely as "Granddad" (who is number one!) by family and a host of toddlers and preschoolers through the years on both sides of the country, will be remembered for his wit, dry sense of humour, generosity and joy in sharing stories about his life and family. He also loved to share his eclectic taste in music (heavily featuring 50's tunes and classical music), his favourite "Monty Python" bits and his interest in all things "Lord of the Rings" and "Doctor Who" with his children, grandchildren and all who would listen. His "Granddad Stew", "squishy yellow eyeball" eggs and "scary breakfasts" will be lovingly recreated by his family, but his egg salad sandwiches could never be matched.

Don is survived by his wife of 40 years, Joanne, and siblings Fred (Bonnie) Eldershaw, Marg Burton, Rob Eldershaw (Laura), Audrey "Pinky" (Ken) Haskins. His legacy lives on in his son Andy (Tanya) Duval, daughters Anita (Steven) Pitman, Becky (Duval) Bond, and Colleen (James) Kempster and his greatest joy, grandchildren Damian, Grace, Cameron, Sam, Jonathan, Jaime, Mitchell, Emily and Max, as well as many nieces and nephews. He will also be missed by his cats Isis and Freyja. He loved us all fiercely and was immensely proud of his family. Besides his parents, Don was predeceased by siblings Bernard "Butch" Eldershaw, John "Buddy" Eldershaw and Ruth "Sissy" Warford.

A graveside service will be held at St. James' Anglican Cemetery, 886 Highway 329, Fox Point, NS on Saturday, August 2 at 11 am, Archdeacon Brieanna Andrews officiating. In lieu of flower, donations in Don's memory may be made to a charity of your choice.

We leave you with one of his favourite quotes: "When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live your life in such a way that when you die, the world cries, and you rejoice."