Donald Armstrong Gibson was born on 15 June 1924 in Kaifeng, China. He studied medicine at Toronto University and qualified MD in 1946. He travelled to the UK and did various house jobs, passing the fellowship of the college in 1950. Moving to Uganda, he joined the staff of the Mengo Hospital in Kampala, specialising in paediatric orthopaedics. In 1959 he returned to Canada as assistant surgeon at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and clinical teacher in surgery at the university. Ten years later, he took up a further surgical appointment in Uganda and this time also became involved with the Leprosy Mission, working to de-stigmatise the disease. In 1977 he became medical director of the Hugh MacMillan Medical Centre. The centre was established to help disabled children and their families and while Donald worked there he was able to promote work on new equipment such as specially adapted wheelchairs. He retired in 1989 and ten years later he and his wife moved to Victoria to be near their family. Renowned for his skilful hands professionally, he was also adept at woodworking and general home improvement. He enjoyed growing bonsai and sailing on Lake Ontario. Throughout his life he remained deeply committed to his Christian faith (bible reading was a fixed daily practice) and was involved with various organisations such as the International Christian Medical and Dental Association and, in later life, the Friends of Mengo Hospital. While he lived in England he had met his future wife Elizabeth (Betty). Their son Ian was born there in 1951 and their twins Joy and Robin were born in Kampala two years later. His son Robin predeceased him in 1998 and Elizabeth died in 2002. When he died on 20 July 2019 aged 95, he was survived by Ian, his wife Linda, Joy and her husband Len and his grandchildren Rohanna, Eli, Zoey, Stefanie and Nicole.