![\"donna](\"https:\/\/vasculitis.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/donna-bob-wall.jpg\")
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Sadly, both Donna and Bob Wall have passed away and only 3 days apart! Unfortunately, we have sad news to share with you about the passing of Donna and Bob Wall. Whether, or not, you met Donna and Bob all of us were \u201ctouched\u201d in some way, by both of them as it relates to the story of Vasculitis Foundation Canada (VFC), or perhaps your own vasculitis story.<\/strong><\/p>\n It is unusual, but not unheard of, that when\u00a0one life partner passes away the second life partner passes away a\u00a0very short time afterwards<\/strong>. And that\u2019s exactly what happened recently with\u00a0Donna passing on Monday at 82<\/strong>, and\u00a0Bob passing away at 85 on Thursday<\/strong>!\u00a0\u00a0In their latter years both battled numerous cancers which ultimately took their lives.<\/p>\n I met Donna and Bob just about 24 years ago\u00a0in the fall of 1997 when\u00a0the original five of us, Gary Timmons, Peter Gerry, myself\u00a0and Donna and Bob Wall, met for the first time at Tim Horton\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0on Sheppard Ave. east in Toronto. At that meeting all of us decided\u00a0that we should start an Ontario Wegener\u2019s Granulomatosis Support Group (WGSG), with a list of known patients from\u00a0WGSG in Kansas City. \u00a0From that initial meeting grew a national organization and a registered Not-For-Profit Canadian\u00a0Corporation, and the registered charity, that we know today as VFC.<\/strong><\/p>\n From the moment Donna and Bob entered Tim\u2019s\u00a0it was obvious to me, and others, that the two of them were a team\u00a0and that\u00a0Bob was\u00a0100% supportive of Donna<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Bob and Donna were married for over 60 years and were a formidable team\u00a0who made many, many contributions to VFC\u00a0over close to 20 years.<\/strong> They “stood up” after Peter Gerry passed away in September of 2001 and carried on with the day-to-day business of VFC. \u00a0Together they were instrumental in organizing many of the early VFC events including the first patient meeting in their Condo party room in early 1998. \u00a0For years we met regularly at the Cambridge Legion, and at the annual picnics (and then picnics and walks), in Riverside Park, also in Cambridge. And, they organized the venue for what we believe was the first genome wide DNA study of GPA patients in North America, and the first in the world to do large scale DNA collections on GPA families, with Dr. Kathy Siminovitch<\/strong>, which attracted hundreds of participants to the basement of Cambridge’s Saint Peter\u2019s\u00a0church in April of 2001.<\/p>\n In addition,\u00a0Donna served as President for many years and invested a lot of time and energy in the success of VFC.\u00a0\u00a0Bob\u00a0supported her 100%<\/strong>\u00a0and attended all her many doctor appointments and worked diligently in the background as her\u00a0“sounding board” and was key in helping organize numerous VFC events. \u00a0They were a TEAM in every sense.<\/strong><\/p>\n Donna and Bob became the \u201cfrontline\u201d and “faces” of VFC, they fielded the VFC 800 line and made contacts with vasculitis\u00a0patients in Canada and beyond over many years. \u00a0Donna took pride in helping formulate the four \u201cC\u2019s\u201d of the VFC mission and motto of: “care,\u00a0control, cause, cure”.<\/strong><\/p>\n Donna and Bob leave an admirable VFC legacy<\/strong>,\u00a0and their lives ended in an unusual, but fitting, manner –\u00a0together<\/strong>!<\/p>\n And, true to form, they suggested that as an expression of sympathy donations to Vasculitis Foundation Canada<\/strong>,\u00a0or Grand River Hospital Foundation – Cancer Centre\u00a0would be appreciated<\/strong>. If you are “touched” by their passing you can donate to VFC, in their memory, at the VFC donation page on Canada Helps located here<\/strong>:\u00a0https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/en\/charities\/vasculitis-foundation-canada\/<\/a><\/p>\n Donna\u2019s obituary is located here:\u00a0https:\/\/www.henrywalser.com\/memorials\/donna-wall\/4779392\/index.php<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/em>Donna passed on Monday 8.11.21 and Bob followed her on 11.11.21!
\n<\/em>Donna and Bob were a true VFC team, and a life team, through and through!
\n<\/em>Photo from 2002 at one of many picnics Donna and Bob were instrumental in organizing.<\/em><\/p>\n