Dallas Wayne MacNaughton, beloved and adored father, son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, best friend and a friend at large, left this earth to be with our Heavenly Father on February 27th, 2010 at the age of 34 years.  He leaves to mourn and forever remember his love, honesty, compassion, humor, trust, wonderful laugh, incredible story-telling ability, brilliant smile and bright blue eyes; his adored and cherished ‘look-alike’ son, Brennan Jay MacNaughton, broken-hearted parents and brother, Allan and Darlene, Weyburn and Tyler Jay (Crista MacDonald), Grande Prairie, AB, and much loved mother of Brennan, Jennifer Heintz.  Grieving family include Grandmother, Frances MacNaughton, Weyburn; Uncle Lawrie MacNaughton (Jane), and Julie MacNaughton, Port Alberni, BC; Uncle Dale MacNaughton (Connie), White Bear Lake, Shea MacNaughton (Billy Duncan), and Kaitland Duncan, and Blair MacNaughton all of Calgary; Aunt Shirley Zerr (Brian), Theresa Zerr (Jason Rainville), Shannon Zerr (Luke Antonini), all of Regina, and Michelle Zerr, High Wycombe, England; Aunt Marleen MacNaughton, Weyburn, Darren Corbett (Lisa), and Trey, Regina, Kara Corbett (Brian LaRocque) and Hayden, Weyburn,  Kyla Corbett (Darcy Tonn), Andralynn Corbett and Ocean Tonn, Griffin; Aunt Dianne Arndt (Ray), Weyburn, Ryan Borys (Harmony), Landon and Scott, Elkford, BC, Coreen Ward (Darcy), Jenna, Brodie and Lawren Ward, Weyburn, Rory Borys (Stacey), Brooklynn, Ryder and Ty, Elkford, BC; Uncle Lyle Borys, Weyburn, Brett Borys (Juana), Melayne, Schenley, Dakota, Maren and Adair, Weyburn, Donna Loucks (Wes), Riley, Rody and Kyler, Medicine Hat, Ward Borys, Weyburn; Uncle Ron Borys (Carol), Weyburn, Shelley Beals, Los Angeles, CA, Sherry Borys, and Joshua Borys-Scott, Weyburn, Mark Borys (Judy Griffiths), and Marty Borys (Erin O’Brien) of Calgary; Uncle Garry Borys (Phyllis), Weyburn, Lora Johnson (Cory), Justin and Kyira, Regina, Lisa Robertson (Ken), Jaxon, Jordyne, Weyburn, Lana Bakken (Lee), Jayden, Brennah and Grady, High River; Uncle Daryl Borys (Joan), Chad  Borys (Carla McCrie), Sean Borys, Ian, Zackery, Keely and Emma Borys, Tanya Tessier (Richard), Christopher and Colby, Miranda Michell (Zach), Geneva and Anna all of Regina; Uncle Blaine Borys (Lori), Jamie Bower (John), Ryan, (twins) Ries and Aleks Bower, Lethbridge, Adele Borys (Tate Clarkson), Jaida, Lindi and Sawyer Clarkson, Jodi Borys (Brad Trischuk), and Blaine Trischuk, Elkford, BC; Uncle Blair Borys (Wendy) and Breanna of Calgary; special family members, Devin and Leah Kot, Weyburn and Darrald and Jenni Chinski, Kaden and Maddie, Okotoks, AB and so many wonderful and special friends, great uncle and aunts, third and fourth cousins too numerous to name but so important to him.  Dallas was predeceased by paternal grandfather, Dougall MacNaughton, maternal grandparents, Paul and Mary Borys, Uncle Larry Borys, Aunt Valerie Borys, and infant cousin, Joel Borys.  Dallas was born in Weyburn, SK on September 29, 1975 at the Weyburn Union Hospital.  He was an adorable baby; who soon grew into a most inquisitive little boy, anxiously learning to be a mini-chef, and housekeeper.  Helping his daddy with yard work, flying kites and racing radio-controlled cars on the street spawned a lifelong passion for fast bikes, cars and snowmobiles.  Dallas attended Assiniboia Elementary School, leaving a lasting impression, and some teachers pondering early retirement.  Just to make amends, it is only fitting to let you know, it wasn’t that he was ‘always’ deliberately ignoring you or us, as it wasn’t discovered until the age of 11 years, he had hearing problems.  A simple operation fixed this, and we found his sense of humor had expanded to being able to laugh at himself.  Shortly after his surgery, we took a family vacation to Hawaii, and having to dawn a ladies white rubber bathing cap, chinstrap and all, in order to swim in the ocean and go snorkeling, this was a necessary evil.  Rather than pout on the beach, he took all the kibitzing in stride.  On November 2, 1981 he was thrilled to become a big brother to another baby boy insisting on naming him, Tyler Jay, even though another name had already been picked and sent for registration.  Dallas could be a force to reckon with, even back then at the tender age of 6 years.  Weyburn Junior High, and more than a fleeting interest in the girls made for some interesting events.  In grade 8, he asked a girl out for his first date; Shelley said “no”, and as she so eloquently noted, they became best friends instead.  Another time, he advised us on a Monday, after school, that he was so upset, as he and his girlfriend had broken up.  Now, not knowing he even had a girlfriend, we began the 20 questions syndrome.  In the end, we, his parents, just had to shake our heads and laugh, when he was, of course, out of ear-shot range, as it appeared he and a girl he was smitten with, had simply done no more than to share some dreamy-eyed glances in the school hallway several times on the Friday before, and since we were all away for a family weekend, there had never actually been a ‘date’ between them, however, in the world of pubescent, she had ripped his heart out, when she no longer gave him a ‘look in the hallway’ when passing one another.  High school offered up even more beautiful heartthrobs, and Dallas and his friends were ecstatic with all the eye-candy these young ladies provided.  No shrinking violet, he did his best to impress as many as he could.  He soon had a high-school sweetheart, and over the next five years until she left for Japan, they remained ‘steadies’.  In grade ten, Dallas became very interested in his heritage, and took it upon himself to learn to read, write and speak Ukrainian.  Only able to attend for six months, he admired and respected Professor John Panio’s dedication to teaching about the entire culture of the Ukrainian people, and so pleased to have been part of such an amazing session.  His favorite saying was “Dymeinyeei Horoshee!” (give to me money).  Go figure!  Upon graduating from Weyburn Comprehensive School, leaving behind his football cleats, his curling shoes, experience being a stock-boy for Co-op Foods, an apprentice mechanic at Barber Motors Ltd, and past summers of learning ‘much needed farm-smart ethics’, the necessity of proper maintenance and the operations of farm equipment from his Uncle Ronnie, he headed off to Calgary to join up with his friends and cousins to make his mark in life.  After much hard and often dirty work as a lead hand with Endurance Technologies, a material handler for Prudential Steel and casual farm laborer, Dallas decided to go back to school.  His roommates hated to see him go, as he was a great cook and entertainer.  His ability to mimic accents, telling a spell-bounding story, kept everyone in stitches, and his own infectious laugh was absolutely contagious.  They didn’t know whom they could trick into sharing rent, and more importantly, who was going to make them Perogies from scratch now that Dallas was leaving.  It was rumored, on more than one occasion, he and his cousins Mark and Marty had made Perogies to sell at a restaurant, as it appeared he’d work all week to pay for the weekend, and gas money was needed by Monday.  Always a proud character, he insisted on paying his own way, he returned to Saskatchewan to attend SIAST in Moose Jaw.  In between semesters, Dallas worked for EBA Engineering in Calgary, and GE Ground Engineering in Regina the following year.  Dallas earned his Diploma of Environmental Engineering Technology in 2002, much to his parents and brothers delight.  It wasn’t easy on him or his teachers, not to mention a couple of tutors along the way, but his determination paid off.  Prior to attending SIAST, Dallas showed his tenacity, in upgrading and successfully completing an entire years worth of Grade 12 subjects in a twenty-day period.  This involved driving to and from Regina on a daily basis in order to attain the grades before the start up of his SIAST classes.  Dallas and cousin, Shea, shared accommodations the first year, making for a roller coaster relationship.  Not wanting to jeopardize any family ties, he made other living arrangements for the duration of his school years, much to the relief of his uncle, aunt, mom and dad.  He had surmised any future family reunions wouldn’t be the same without his sidekick Shea to tease, and it would be best to cut her some slack.  He truly loved coming from a big family, having 30 first cousins, 43-second cousins, 2 more due in August, plus all the spouses; there was no end to having fun, or someone to ‘chat’ with.  Wanting to earn quick cash before putting his Diploma to use, he decided to give a shot at working on the rigs; after all, how hard could it be?  Little brother had been doing it for some time now.  So off he flew to Fort Nelson, B.C. to join up with Tyler, where Dallas soon discovered, being a ‘green-hand’ wasn’t much fun, and even worse, his little brother was now his Boss.  This provided Dallas with a new outlook and a well-gained respect for his little bro.  Feeling like it was time to show his brother a thing or two, he determined now was the time.  Experiencing enough bitter cold and isolation to last a lifetime made only acceptable by the nice little nest egg established, he returned to Saskatchewan three months later.  It was now time to find work in his chosen profession, so once again, he found himself back on the road to Calgary, where he landed a position with KBL, offering everything he was looking for, except he would be returning to work out of, you guessed it…Weyburn.  One of his favorite sayings, until settling down, had been “Weyburn is a nice place to come from….”!  He soon learned, it would also be a great place to stay in.  He was so proud to become a member of the Weyburn Youngfellows Club, and being able to provide for so many others by gladly volunteering his time to such a commendable service club.  Although disappointed, to leave behind his old Weyburn friends, now settled into being Albertans, Dallas instantly appreciated his new co-workers who befriended him upon arrival.  In a few short months he met and fell in love with Jen.  Opportunity knocked at his door in 2006, when he and several co-workers at KBL purchased the Saskatchewan assets, and founded Odyssey Environmental Ltd.  After a few years of hard work, vacationing, and purchasing a home, the pride of their lives was born.  Dallas loved every aspect of being a father.  His ‘spitting-image’ son, Brennan Jay, could make his bold, blonde, blue-eyed daddy turn into a babbling softie.  In 2008, he and fellow co-owners of Odyssey Environmental were nominated and honoured to be named the winners of the ‘New or Expanded Business’ award for exemplifying business excellence and contribution to the extraordinary quality of life that Weyburn residents and businesses enjoy.  They were the first company in Western Canada to implement the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to obtain low-level, high-resolution aerial photographs of subject sites.  The company expanded its service area to include Southern Alberta due to its innovation in adaptation and use of new technologies in environmental studies, which provided it with a competitive advantage over Alberta-based environmental companies.  In May of 2009, Dallas, Jen and Brennan transferred to Swift Current where well-established friendships had already been forged through the company, when again; opportunity presented itself with Odyssey merging with Matrix Solutions Inc.  Now being one of approximately three hundred employees, up from thirty, proudly making themselves part of an International Company.  Dallas was so very proud to be one of so many, with such an amazing group of professional engineers, agrologists, biologists, hydrogeologists and technologists ensuring all projects requirements were being handled with such expertise.  Knowing he and his brother Tyler, who now had expanded his world interests in the oil industry by training and experiencing life as an off-shore driller, working in far off countries, presently located in Brazil, made Dallas proud and so very happy for his parents, who had seen so many ups and downs through their sons eyes, now knowing he and Tyler had done them proud.  With so much to look forward to and hearing Brennan’s sweet voice calling out “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy” at the end of his workdays, life couldn’t get any better.  Sadly, his highway of life had its share of speed bumps, and curves, and with too many to maneuver, he made a wrong turn at the wrong time.  There are no words or answers, just profound grief.  I love you Daddy, we love you son, I love and miss you bro, and we always will.  Rest in peace, your journey on earth is over.

Prayers were held on Friday, March 5, 2010, 8:00 pm at St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church.  Funeral Mass was held Saturday, March 6, 2010, 11:00 am at St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church, with Fr. Gerry Bauche, and Rev. John Ferrier officiating.  Active pallbearers were Blair MacNaughton, Marty Borys, Darrald Chinski, Travis Hemsworth, Jeremie Webster and Ryan Swanson.    

“I’ll lend to you for a little time, a child of mine,” He said.  “For you to love the while he lives and mourn for when he’s dead.  It may be six or seven years or twenty-two or three, but will you, till I call him back, take care of him for me?  He’ll bring his charms to gladden you, and should his stay be brief, you’ll have his lovely memories as solace for your grief.  I cannot promise he will stay, since all from earth return, but there are lessons taught down there, I want this child to learn.  I’ve looked the wide world over in my search for teachers true, and from the throngs that crowd life’s lanes, I have selected you.  Now will you give him all your love, nor think the labor vain, nor hate me when I come to call to take him back again?  I fancied that I heard them say “Dear Lord, Thy will be done!  For all the joy thy child shall bring, the risk of grief we’ll run.  We’ll shelter him with tenderness, we’ll love him while we may, and for the happiness we’ve known, forever grateful stay.  But should the angels call him much sooner than we’ve planned, we’ll brave the bitter grief that comes and try to understand.”

For family and friends so wishing donations in memory of Dallas may be made to Brennan MacNaughton Trust Fund c/o Weyburn Credit Union Ltd., The Family Place, 24- 4th St. Weyburn, SK S4H 0A1 or The Children Wish Foundation P.O. Box 309, Saskatoon, SK, S7K 3L3

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