IN LOVING MEMORY

Don Vinge

A lover of life. A prairie boy in the big world. A gentle and generous soul. A visionary educator. An inspiring leader. An optimist and a believer. A devoted son, husband, father, grandfather and friend. A legend. Donald Leslie Vinge passed away peacefully on December 8, 2025 in Edmonton at the age of 92. 

From his home village of Torquay to the great cities of the world, Don Vinge’s gumption and joie-de-vivre were well known and contagious. He embraced the world with great wonder, and encouraged those around him to do the same. Don was the youngest of seven children born to Peder and Dorma Vinge, and early memories of family, school, church, work, the baseball diamond and the ice rink were very important to him. As a young man, he left his mark at Luther College and the University of Saskatchewan. The long career in educational leadership that followed was defined by forty years in Europe, first with the Department of National Defence and later in international schools, as well as innovative work with Edmonton Public School Board. Don’s stomping grounds included Baden-Baden, Brunssum, Dresden, Edmonton, Eugene, Frankfurt, Lahr, London, Munich, Outlook, Regensburg, Regina, Saskatoon, Soest, Weimar, and many dots in between. Wherever he was he stood on firm ground, likely with a Michelin guide and a newspaper, untroubled and unapologetically himself. He was a thinker and a doer, a connector of ideas and people, and he impacted thousands of students and educators with his idealism, kindness, wisdom and integrity. Don was a connoisseur of current affairs, art, culture, music, sports, food, wine and people. He enjoyed finding shared interests, and was known to pluck a relevant article out of a giant stack of papers mid-conversation. He cared deeply for all his family and friends around the world, and cherished three decades of marriage with the love of his life. Don joins Maureen as they watch over their son Peder, daughter-in-law Nallely, grandchildren Maia and Lennox, nieces and nephews, and their many loved ones. He will be dearly missed.

A memorial service will be held at Hosanna Lutheran Church in Edmonton on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Canadian Lutheran World Relief.

Stay up to date