I, too, only knew him from the Board. My condolences to his family and friends.
Cameron Donaldson (northernone) a requiem
- Thread starter RayfromTX
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onewiththeocean
Registered
I only knew him from his posts here on SB, but I always read his posts as he so frequently had something valuable to offer. Deepest condolences to his friends and family. His absence is also a huge loss for us all.
nolatom
Contributor
Though I too knew him only from this board, where he "liked" several of my posts, I feel as though I've lost a good friend.
Condolences to his loved ones
Condolences to his loved ones
CathyCA
Registered
I never knew Cameron but feel like I did from these posts. I sometimes dive with my 30 year old son. We do split up (although in not so deep and challenging conditions). I have rescued my husband a couple of times, successfully. I have rescued myself with a flooded scooter. Whatever happened to Cameron we may never know but I do feel that it could happen to any of us who dive.
My heart goes out to Bonnie, I cannot imagine your pain. And to all of Cameron's family and friends. May he rest in peace and may you all find comfort in the fond memories of Cameron.
My heart goes out to Bonnie, I cannot imagine your pain. And to all of Cameron's family and friends. May he rest in peace and may you all find comfort in the fond memories of Cameron.
I could tell that from the Cree surnames that were on the gofundme donation lists.
Donations from people coming from an impoverished northern community, by southern standards, yet they gave what they could.
Cameron Donaldson you are missed, and you made an impact on this world.
OP
I copied this from his FB page. It is a message from his cousin Shannon Good. There is so much to learn from it.
"
Dear Cameron,
I miss you.
Geographically, we were rarely reunited. Even our written communications were sporadic and infrequent.
But your presence was greater than time or space. When we spoke, it was meaningful. When we exchanged messages, it was sincere. When we raced to wish each other a happy birthday, it was a competition we both won. You, my dear cousin, were a unique and special human being. Your mom regularly pointed out that I was your only cousin - I always took great pride in holding that position.
And I always took comfort in knowing that, somewhere in this world, you were out there working your magic. Living life on your own terms, but somehow managing to improve the lives of everyone you met.
The adventures you had and so modestly recounted. The legions of followers you gathered as you meandered through life. Your laid-back attitude that hid your extraordinary work ethic. These were just some of the things that made you special.
Upon reflection, I realize that you taught me so much. You taught me to sit with silence. You never rushed to speak, but, when given time, your wise words were always worth waiting for. Your life was cut too short, too soon. But man, did you ever manage to fit a lifetime of experiences into those three decades. You dealt with heartache, you practiced reflection, you prioritized adventure, you leveraged every opportunity to learn, you were kind to every living creature… you truly mastered living.
If we are smart, we, the ones you have left behind, will cherish all the lessons you left us. Personally, I will be grateful for our time together; our chats, our laughs, our differing definitions of “roughing it”. I will hold onto these precious memories forever.
And I think, over time, I will return to taking comfort in knowing that, somewhere just beyond this world, you are out there working your magic, on your own terms, using your legacy to continue improving the lives of those you met.
But for now, I just miss you.
With love,
Your only cousin
"
"
Dear Cameron,
I miss you.
Geographically, we were rarely reunited. Even our written communications were sporadic and infrequent.
But your presence was greater than time or space. When we spoke, it was meaningful. When we exchanged messages, it was sincere. When we raced to wish each other a happy birthday, it was a competition we both won. You, my dear cousin, were a unique and special human being. Your mom regularly pointed out that I was your only cousin - I always took great pride in holding that position.
And I always took comfort in knowing that, somewhere in this world, you were out there working your magic. Living life on your own terms, but somehow managing to improve the lives of everyone you met.
The adventures you had and so modestly recounted. The legions of followers you gathered as you meandered through life. Your laid-back attitude that hid your extraordinary work ethic. These were just some of the things that made you special.
Upon reflection, I realize that you taught me so much. You taught me to sit with silence. You never rushed to speak, but, when given time, your wise words were always worth waiting for. Your life was cut too short, too soon. But man, did you ever manage to fit a lifetime of experiences into those three decades. You dealt with heartache, you practiced reflection, you prioritized adventure, you leveraged every opportunity to learn, you were kind to every living creature… you truly mastered living.
If we are smart, we, the ones you have left behind, will cherish all the lessons you left us. Personally, I will be grateful for our time together; our chats, our laughs, our differing definitions of “roughing it”. I will hold onto these precious memories forever.
And I think, over time, I will return to taking comfort in knowing that, somewhere just beyond this world, you are out there working your magic, on your own terms, using your legacy to continue improving the lives of those you met.
But for now, I just miss you.
With love,
Your only cousin
"
Addicted2H2O
Contributor
Thanks for posting that, Ray. I think it says a lot about Cameron and who he was. Helps those of us that didn't really know him to maybe become a little bit closer to him. And I think maybe, if we can all strive to be just a little bit more like Cameron, maybe we can make a difference in this life the way he did. Maybe we can find happiness and peace the way it seems he had. And I have no doubts that he's hanging out by the gate to the next great adventure waiting for the rest of us to show up.
Stoo
Contributor
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Just to bring a little levity to this sad thread, like many others, I was familiar with Cam's posts but I didn't know him beyond that.
Then last spring, he sent me a note asking about a boat in Tobermory. He was coming "down south" to spend time with his family. He wanted to spend a week or so in Tobermory, and wanted to know if I knew of a small boat that he could charter that they would have to themselves. There was to be a little diving, and some touring and basically just spending time with the fam on a boat. The dive shops in town couldn't really help him.
So I put him in touch with a guy I know that ran a little "six pack", but I also warned Cam that the boat was a POS and he should satisfy himself that it would meet his requirements.
To make a long story somewhat shorter, he did charter my friends boat, and everything was going along swimmingly. Pun intended.
A few days later, I heard from another friend that the boat had swamped and sunk, dumping several people, a ton of gear, cameras etc into 50' of water, thankfully only a few feet from shore. Cam's sister-in-law (I think) and the captain were briefly trapped in the wheelhouse but were extricated easily enough.
Other friends were able to recover the vast majority of the gear and everyone was fine in the end.
In what I now know is typical of Cam, I sent him a note to confirm he was ok and sort of apologized for the recommendation. His response, "Well, you did tell me it was a piece of sh!t, and you weren't wrong". Ugh.
I hope he's enjoying his eternal deco-stop.
Then last spring, he sent me a note asking about a boat in Tobermory. He was coming "down south" to spend time with his family. He wanted to spend a week or so in Tobermory, and wanted to know if I knew of a small boat that he could charter that they would have to themselves. There was to be a little diving, and some touring and basically just spending time with the fam on a boat. The dive shops in town couldn't really help him.
So I put him in touch with a guy I know that ran a little "six pack", but I also warned Cam that the boat was a POS and he should satisfy himself that it would meet his requirements.
To make a long story somewhat shorter, he did charter my friends boat, and everything was going along swimmingly. Pun intended.
A few days later, I heard from another friend that the boat had swamped and sunk, dumping several people, a ton of gear, cameras etc into 50' of water, thankfully only a few feet from shore. Cam's sister-in-law (I think) and the captain were briefly trapped in the wheelhouse but were extricated easily enough.
Other friends were able to recover the vast majority of the gear and everyone was fine in the end.
In what I now know is typical of Cam, I sent him a note to confirm he was ok and sort of apologized for the recommendation. His response, "Well, you did tell me it was a piece of sh!t, and you weren't wrong". Ugh.
I hope he's enjoying his eternal deco-stop.
Dizzi Lizzi
Contributor
I always had a hope that I would be able to dive with northernone. I enjoyed his posts, he was so kind in his replies and had a wealth of knowledge to impart. I imagined him to be in his 60's or 70's and diving for decades.For a man half his age, he made a difference everywhere he went it seems. I am so sorry for his family and friends and all the people he influenced and cared for.
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