Australian Tenpin bowling coach Don Lindsay tragically dies after world championship

The Queensland ten-pin bowling community is mourning the loss of a beloved coach and father who died just one month after coaching on the international stage.

Aus bowling coach Don Lindsay died just one month after recent world championships.

The national ten pin bowling world is in mourning after the death of a well-known coach who trained state, national and special Olympic teams.

Don Lindsay’s passing last weekend came just one month after he coached at an international championship in Thailand. He had been battling various cancer diagnosis for the past eight years.

Mr Lindsay, from Morayfield, dedicated more than 25 years of his life coaching diverse ten pin bowling teams across Queensland to victory, best known for his time as head coach of the National Training Squad open and open team Australia squads.

Tributes have flowed for the 68-year-old who’s wife Shirley and daughters Melanie and Charlene remembered him as a passionate, loving and protective man.

Charlene said despite her dad’s health battle, his death came as a shock and the family were beyond devastated.

Following a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis in 2016, Mr Lindsay’s successful six years of immunotherapy, a kidney removal, encouraging test results and shrinkage of tumours led his family to believe he had many years left to live.

“One month ago he was in Thailand coaching the Australian teams to silver and bronze medals at an international championship, as a silver level coach,” Charlene said.

“He pushed through his illness but one week after he returned from Thailand, after lots of tests, we discovered he had developed pancreatic cancer that had metastasised to his liver.

Mr Lindsay had an innate desire to invest in the growth of his athletes as people, not just competitors.

“I arrived in Brisbane from Canada last Thursday expecting him to come home and be a little weak but he had a stroke in hospital, deteriorated so quickly and on Saturday he passed away,” she said.

Miss Lindsay said her father was a “larger than life”, affectionate and loyal man who went above and beyond for his family and bowling teams.

“He loved all sports, was so loving and loyal … he could read people mentally so he could see if it was someone’s mind stopping them from achieving goals and would work with them,” she said.

“He put everybody else before himself, lots of people have stories about how he would pay attention and then send them books to help with what they were going through.

“We had so many talks where he would give me guidance about being successful in life and how to remain positive.”

Mr Lindsay married his wife Shirley in 1980 after instantly falling in love with her from his car window in Gympie.

“Dad saw mum while he was visiting Gympie with a friend, he was driving down a dirt road and saw her working at the farm,” he said.

“He laid eyes on her and said he was going to marry her, it was love at first sight.”

Mr Lindsay married his wife Shirley in 1980 after instantly falling in love with her from his car window in Gympie.

Tenpin Bowling Australia said Mr Lindsay’s coaching philosophy extended beyond the lanes, with an innate desire to invest in the growth of his athletes as people, not just competitors.

“We are so grateful for his contributions and knowing he lived out his dream in time,” they said.

Miss Lindsay said that in her father’s more recent years he embarked on memorable international holidays with his family that she would always cherish.

“Having lived in Canada for the last decade I got to travel with my parents, we made beautiful memories and he loved it,” Miss Lindsay said.

The family have started a GoFundMe to support Mrs Lindsay through this unimaginable time.

Miss Lindsay said her father’s sudden passing is not what he would have wanted.

The family have started a GoFundMe to support Mrs Lindsay through this unimaginable time.

“He was so organised and would’ve had everything ready for mum, but due to the extremely aggressive nature of dad’s cancer and the rate at which it ripped him from our arms, financial arrangements have not been made or planned for,” Miss Lindsay said.

“If you have the capacity to donate some funds to help support Don’s beautiful wife of 45 years Shirley through the hardest chapter of her life, the Lindsay family would be eternally grateful.

If you can donate, please click here.