It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Doug Leedahl on May 31, 2018 while surrounded by family at the Foothills Hospital. Doug was the first of three children born to Cliff and Maxine Leedahl on September 19, 1948 in Saskatoon SK. Although they did live in Prince Albert for a short time, the family returned to Saskatoon where Doug graduated high school from Mount Royal Collegiate in 1966. From there he moved south to Regina for training with the RCMP. After graduating in 1969, Constable Doug Leedahl was initially stationed in Wetaskiwin then Olds. In Olds, Doug started his family; Jeff was born in 1972 and Shari in 1974. Doug was transferred to Hanna in 1975 where he and his young family stayed until he left the RCMP in 1978. It was then that they moved to Sundre where he followed his dream of owning a sporting goods store: West Country Sports. Challenges of owning a small business led Doug to start as an operator with Shell Canada in 1980. Doug stayed with Shell doing Instrumentation at Harmattan, Burnt Timber and Limestone until his retirement in 2006. Despite being in Alberta since 1969, Doug’s Saskatchewan roots ran deep. He stopped his annual road trips to Saskatchewan after he helped his parents move to Medicine Hat, AB in 1996 but his Rider Pride always remained evident. His team didn’t always make him a proud Rider fan but a die-hard fan nonetheless. Doug always loved Sundre but in 1997 he met Joanne Notley who easily convinced him to move back to Olds in 1999 with her and her kids, Jeff and Kayla. Together they have supported each other through the last 21 years. Throughout Doug’s life, he was a fastball player who shifted over to curling and golf as the years went by. In Doug’s retirement, he continued to golf and fish but largely took on the spectator role for Joanne’s curling and of course the endless activities of his grandkids. Doug was predeceased by his father in 2002. Doug is survived by his wife, Joanne Notley; mother, Maxine, mother-in-law Violet Gans; his siblings Cathy Bocking (Keith) and Brian Leedahl, children Jeff Leedahl (Jacquie), Shari Leedahl (Linus Clark), step-children Kayla Notley, Jeff Notley (Jane Armstrong) and his four grandkids, Easton and Elyssa Leedahl, Jaycee and Carlee Clark as well as nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind a large group of lifelong friends that will remember Doug with many nights’ worth of stories.
A memorial service will be held at the Olds Legion on June 12th at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.