THUNDER BAY – Amongst other things Fraser Dougall was a loving husband, devoted father, generous friend, savvy businessman and tremendous community leader.
Hundreds of people gathered at the Valhalla Inn Monday afternoon to pay tribute to the late Dougall Media owner and president, who passed away last week at 73 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
The gathering included local political figures, business leaders as well as a significant number of former co-workers and employees. The reception line to greet Dougall’s family members lasted more than an hour.
Longtime friend Ray Putnam, who knew Dougall for 55 years dating back to their university days in Winnipeg, served as master of ceremonies for the celebration of life. He recounted the early days of their friendship, Putnam as a “poor farm boy” and Dougall as the “city boy” yet they developed a special bond.
“We might not see each other for two or three years but when we got together it was like we were able to pick up a conversation like we’d left it off the day before,” he said. “It was a real treat to be able to do that.”
Putnam shared stories that illustrated Dougall’s creativity, ingenuity and passion for his wife Elizabeth, children Hector, Scott and Kirsten and his five grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Above all, it was the generosity Dougall showed to the community that will serve as his lasting mark.
“You think of all the contributions he’s made and participation financially to things like the (Thunder Bay Community Auditorium), the hospital and those various things that impact people every day and will continue to impact people,” Putnam said.
“It’s a real legacy he’s leaving for us here in Thunder Bay.”
CKPR Radio news director Bryan Wyatt has worked at Dougall Media for more than 30 years and said the atmosphere inside the Hill Street headquarters is unique.
“I’ve spent basically half of my life there and you wouldn’t do that if you didn’t feel you were part of something special, that you were part of something that was more than just a job. There’s this family atmosphere that has developed,” he said.
“I think a lot of it was Fraser leading by example. You always hear that leaders lead and the best ones are followed. That’s certainly the case with Fraser.”
Wyatt said Dougall was very different than any other boss he had ever worked for, recounting how he had a natural ease with anybody in the company.
The two shared many conversations, several regarding Dougall’s beloved Minnesota Vikings.
“Fraser knew everybody at the station,” Wyatt said. “You would walk around and you would run into him during the day. He would know your name and talk to you about what was going on that particular day, whether it was about your job or not. It could be about anything.”
