Montreal, Sunday November 27th 2011.
Very early this morning Don Van Horn, ended his year long battle with cancer, sunday November 27th 2011, during which he never ceased, until the very last day , giving himself 100% to the continued development of the Bio-ingedients division ,which he had created when he joined Lallemand some 20 years ago.
His death, although not unexpected given the illness he was battling, comes still a shock for me and , I am sure, for many others in our company which had become his extended family . He was justifiably very proud of what Lallemand had achieved during his career as he knew he had contributed in a significant and exemplary fashion to many of these achievements.
His perseverance , hard work and steadfastness when confronted with challenges, his directness and usually sure evaluation of persons both within and outside of the company were attributes that i will particularly remember. His legacy remains in the many persons he hired and nurtured and who will continue to develop his vision and dream which was the same as mine- to build a worldwide leading company in the field of yeasts and bacteria.
He will be sorely missed .
I am sure you will join me in extending heartfelt condolences to his family .
Jean Chagnon
Don will be exposed at the: BROME-MISSISQUOI Funeral Complex located at 215 River Street, in Bedford, OC, J0J 1A0. Tel: 450-248 2911.
Visitation will take place Friday December 2nd 2011 from 7 to 9pm and Saturday the Funeral home will open at 9h30 am.
Funeral service will take place at the Funeral Home Saturday December 3rd at 10h30 am.
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Ma dernière rencontre avec Don remonte au meeting de Passau de Novembre dernier. Je l’avais trouvé affaibli, mais toujours avec la même étincelle dans les yeux, son esprit vif et son humour british…. j’étais loin de me douter que je ne le reverrais plus.
Je vais garder pour toujours le souvenir de Don et moi entrain de jogger dans Hyde Park, à Londres, après quelques jours de meetings et notre visite à quelques pubs pendant ce même séjour.
Nous ne sommes pas près de t’oublier Don !!!
Daniel
Cher Don,
Ce fut un choc pour moi lorsque j’ai lu la mauvaise nouvelle le jour de ton décès, des larmes ont coulées sur mes joues et mes enfants se sont serrés contre moi pour me réconforter…
On s’était vu le mercredi d’avant, tu semblais fatigué mais j’étais loin d’imaginer que c’était la dernière fois que l’on se voyait. Tu m’as même engueulé car tu disais que j’aurai du rester à la maison avec la petite tempête de neige, au fond de moi je pensais que c’était toi qui aurais du rester à la maison. Mais ton travail te permettait probablement te tenir bon.
C’est en octobre 1999 que j’ai fait ta rencontre lors de mon entrevue pour intégrer la grande famille Lallemand. Je venais juste d’immigrer au Québec avec mon conjoint et mes deux valises. Ton accent anglais et ta longue moustache m’avaient impressionnée, tu représentais alors le personnage canadien que j’avais en tête.
Avec Nadine Renard, vous avez tous les deux contribué grandement à mon intégration au Québec à la fois au niveau professionnel et personnel.
On a passé quelques nuits blanches à superviser la production de Gastro-ad. J’ai alors appris à mieux te connaitre. Tu étais un leader, un homme honnête, franc et passionnée avec un grand cœur.
Tu es celui qui a plaidé pour ma cause lorsque je voulais concilier travail-famille à l’arrivée de mon deuxième et mon troisième garçon, puis lors de mon exil vers la campagne.
Je te dois beaucoup et j’avoue que tu vas me manquer même si parfois ton entêtement m’agaçait parfois.
Tu fus mon coach, mon formateur, et parfois un père qui me conseillait sur l’éducation des enfants.
Myriam
Cher Don,
Te voici parti vers d’autres Horizons. Je t’ai côtoyé lors de nos meetings de direction. Nos discussions n’etaient que professionnelles, bien souvent, tard, autour d’une dernière biere. J’aimais ce que tu dégageais, la passion, une dose d’humour, une grande simplicité, tes interventions tranchées, la clarté du regard et ton anglais que je ne comprenais pas toujours. Aujourd’hui je me rends compte que je ne connaissais rien de ton environnement extra professionnel et familial mais j’ai une pensée toute particulière pour tes proches. Tu vas nous manquer mais tu restes dans nos coeurs.
It was a touching and impressive experience to participate to your funeral Don. It took me several days to fully realize the big loss our team is suffering. It is not only related to your hard work, your excellent technical know-how and impressive customer relationships all over the world, it is your unique personality we will miss: Your honest directness, dedication and steadfastness.
Our plan to once discuss all our ideas skiing in the Swiss Alp is no more possible but we will take care of your legacy. Your vision to further develop Bio-Ingredients to a distinctive, larger unit is the clear objective you have given to our team. We will miss you but your spirit will continue to live in all Bio-Ingredients products and activities. I am sure this is the way you wish we honor your heritage.
Ruggero
My career in Lallemand since May 2010 was mostly day to day work with Don. I developed strong feelings about Don not only a boss rather than a guardian as a new comer in a new corporate culture. He was battling with cancer but the way he maintained office, duties and treatment during difficult time of life is really unprecedented, greatly admirable and courageous. I dropped him at his NDG apartment after office hour on Wednesday and had a long discussion on Thursday, and then suddenly news of his demise on Sunday was simply unbelievable.
Don, we lost you prematurely and it is difficult to overcome our strong sense of emptiness for you.
Don, SAYONARA. We all LBI colleagues admire you and will follow your legacy of hard work. You taught us how to maintain a spirited & courageous life-style during tough time in life and WE SALUTE YOU. We pray for your rest in peace.
Shoeb
I know Don since the late 90’s, when his division started to supply our bacteria plants in yeast extracts. But I began to really know the man since the moment, in the middle of 2004 where I integrated his team, at this time small, at a period where I reoriented my carrier.
Don welcomed me in a very trusty and friendly way. Right at the beginning, he opened to me his wide experience and knowledge, his books, his informations, his confidence. This was really the time where I started to discover the man, passionate by his work, highly knowledgeable on all its aspects, giving always a large freedom on business approach with always wise opinions on the hard points touched overtime.
I also discovered someone with this part of no nonsense and in the same time deeply human vision on people, situations and difficulties. Also someone with a deep sense of humor, with whom it was always fine moments to pass hours in a car ; someone to share passionate discussions on business, on technology, on development, on company. I have learned a lot from Don. I have always appreciated his capacity to help to discover in you the solutions to a problem. I have appreciated his direct, open, trusty communication. I have enjoyed the moments of laugh, exchange…
I’m losing a respected boss, and a man that I considered as a friend. In the LBI division, I think that we will all at some point feel orphans of Don. Following his route will be our pride, even if we know that he will be deeply missing.
Farewell Don, rest in peace. Wherever you are, know that the team reacted strongly at your memory since Sunday, and is enraged to continue tracing the route. Don’t be upset if in our hearts we feel the cruel absence of a blue eye, of a smile under a pair of moustaches…
Marc
I met Don very briefly during my trainning sesion in Montreal. I had heard about him through colleagues of mine. We exchange some information on the new products Bio Ingredients was working on.
Cought in the schedule we had to move on and after five minutes exchanging about products and applications, I must say that, I did not have the chance to know him as much as I would have liked to.
Today, I believe I met with the legacy he’s left in many of you. It is with great joy to hear stories about him and his career, and see how in some way Don has touched many people inside and outside Lallemand. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
I still remember when I first met Don in Bartlesville, OK. in 1993 He was part of the Lallemand Team reviewing Provesta as a potential acquisition. I believe it was at that point we became friends and eventually started working together at Lallemand in the early days of the Bio-Ingredients division. Thank you Don for making Lallemand and my life better because you were a part of it. Rest my friend in the arms of our Lord.
Jim
Our deepest condolences to the Family. We feel very proud of having Don’s wise advices and friendiship. The Mexican team will miss you a lot.
Carlos Aguirre. / Lallemand Mexico.
The Lake States Yeast team greatly appreciates Don’s vision to include our business in the Lallemand family.
I can still hear his voice in my mind.
Happy Trails Don!
We will all miss you Don, thank you for all you have done to make our company what it is today. Also thank you for all the help you have given me over the years.
Don was a fighter and a proud one! Still had the drive to come to work which aleviated his pain. Many times, I would call a taxi for him, we would chat about life and light subjects, music for instance. He loved the Rolling Stones. Coming and going from his treatments, last week, he told me he had cancer. With a compassionnate ear I listened and only could find a smile on his face. I only started to know Don and his spirit still lives over the Préfontaine reception.
Don a fait partie de ses personnes chez Lallemand qui ont été une source d’inspiration et m’ont donné la confiance dans nos produits et la fierté dans notre soutien aux clients et marchés. Et en même temps quelqu’un à part, une de ses rencontres qui resteront toujours dans mon souvenir.
Lors de ces derniers mois, sachant sa maladie, j’ai souvent repensé à ces moments partagés avec lui, dans ses quelques années au début 2000 où je me suis occupé de Lalmin en Asie et où nous nous sommes retrouvés quelquefois au Japon pour soutenir nos clients. Don s’amusait de mon acharnement à essayer de faire bouger notre client Miwa, à organiser des conférences avec dr Rayman, nadine Renard, des trainings des clients Lalmin… . Autour de l’Asahi super-dry, nous préparions les rôles que nous allions jouer lors des réunions chez Miwa, Marine Bio et tentions d’imaginer comment les réunions allaient se dérouler…
Il y a toujours quelque chose d’épique à faire une visite avec Don. Précis, concis, il n’explique qu’un fois, il faut comprendre vite. I sait très bien ce que l’on est capable de faire et ce qui est éventuellement faisable. Si c’est non, il dit non tout de go, et ce non n’est jamais négociable. Si une objection que je lui anticipe, est dérangeante, il répond simplement « don’t u ask me no question and I won’t tell you no lies ». Je garde un sourire inquiet. C’est drôle de faire des visites avec une sorte de Wyatt Earp. Longues moustache et jambes arquées; demain il faudra savoir détourner l’attention et vite assouplir ses mots s’il tire trop vite sur le client.. Don félicite rarement, mais ses yeux clairs brillent par-dessus la monture de ces lunettes et les plis au coin des yeux s’allongent quant il dit « i think I like what you do »
J’ai revu Don tout récemment à Passau, lors de la préparation de nos budgets. Je savais sa maladie, je ne m’attendais pas à le voir. Le « Jedi » épuisé trainait les pieds, amaigri, l’œil terne, et accompagnait son « jeune padawan » André Lambert, dont je me réjouissais du retour.
Assis au petit déjeuner à côté de Don, je ne savais pas comment lui exprimer ma sympathie ou des vœux de rétablissement dont je craignais la naïveté.
J’ai finalement placé ma question stupide, comment te sens tu Don, ou quelque chose dans le genre. Il a tourné la tête vers moi et m’a regardé par-dessus la monture de ses lunettes, comme avant. Mais il n’a rien dit, et il n’y avait rien d’autre dans ses yeux qu’une grande lassitude. Il a juste détourné son visage et regardé devant lui. Il m’a ignoré.
Mais, en détournant la tête, je savais qu’il me le disait à nouveau « don’t u ask me no question and I won’t tell you no lies ».
We are all greatly saddened to learn of Mr. Don Van Horn’s sudden
passing. Please accept my deepest sympathy and sincere condolences.
Please also convey my profound sympathy to his daughter and family.
Sincerely yours,
Katsuhisa Miwa,
President,
Miwa Seiyaku Co., Ltd.
We all from Salutaguse Pärmitehas team would like to extend heartfelt condolences to Don’s family. From 1998 when Don first time came to Salutaguse he became a part of our team – part of Salutaguse family. It was a long trip for our plant to reach the level we are now, and it was a journey with difficulties and achievements. But it is true that all our success is thanks to this great person, his visions and dedication to the organisation.
Don is not here, but he stays in our mind and hearts and we will always remember his smiling face.
I would like to express our sincere condolences on the recent passing of Don. We are very impressed for his courage and great example. Please send our greatest sympathy to his family.
Our sincere thoughts and prayers are with him.