B116298 Rifleman Donald Norman Patience was born in Weston (Toronto), Ontario, on 20 November 1918, the son of Andrew Patience and Louise Helena Hansen. His Baptist family included two sisters. He attended Humber Heights Consolidated School, completing Grade 9 and part of Grade 10 before leaving at age 16 to earn his own living.

Patience completed his 30-day compulsory training with the Lorne Scots in October 1940 and a further month with the Canadian Army Service Corps (Militia) in August/September 1941.

He held various jobs after leaving school but worked as a sparr mill operator for Victory Aircraft when he enlisted with the active service army on 8 September 1943. He trained in Simcoe, Ipperwash and Debert before he arrived in the United Kingdom on 11 June 1944 and was posted to 3 Canadian Reinforcement Unit.

On 2 December 1944, he arrived in Northwest Europe and was posted to The Queen’s Own Rifles on 30 December 1944. He was temporarily attached to 3 Canadian Infantry Division headquarters on 26 January 1945 but returned to the QOR on 23 March.

Rifleman Hansen died of wounds received from a mortar shell fragment in Germany on 6 April 1945. He is buried in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, grave reference V. E. II. His family had the following engraved on his marker:

THEY HAVE NOT DIED
WHO DIE IN CHRIST
BUT ONLY GONE BEFORE