In an interview four years ago, Don Axford was asked how much his son Jon, president of Endless Energy, was paying him as the company's geologist.

The personable Axford, then 80, slapped a knee and roared with laughter.

"I'm his geologist with no pay," cackled Axford, his eyes twinkling merrily as if he'd just hit paydirt at a wildcat well.

The legendary Calgary oilman viewed his life in the oilpatch as much more than a job and once described it as a poker game. That "poker game" lasted 57 years, right up until his death recently at 84.

Don Axford

Even while battling cancer, Axford resisted any notion that he was retired. In fact, he was still a director of Marauder Resources East Coast to the end (Marauder was formerly Endless Energy, the company that was run by Jon Axford).

During his final weeks in hospital, someone asked Axford if he regretted not having retired. His response left little doubt about his position on the matter.

"Did I say I was retired?" he cracked.

Axford's burning passion for oil and gas exploration spanned seven decades, going back to the 1940s.

Janet Axford Halls remembers her father as a man who had an uncanny knack for touching the lives of not only those around him, but also perfect strangers on the street.

"Dad just said 'hi' to everyone regardless of who they were, and he'd get them talking," said Halls. "After a casual encounter, people got a sense that Dad cared about them personally. His service was attended by over 500 people and I think that was because he touched so many people's lives.

"He was also an ethical man, and that stood him in good stead. Dad just felt people were important and, no matter what station in life they had, he felt that everybody had something to contribute, he could learn from them and he was willing to help people whenever he could. I think that's his greatest legacy. He once told me: 'Absolutely the most important thing in life is to maintain people's trust in you and if you lose that, you lose everything.' " As a geologist, he was renowned for initiating oil and gas exploration on the east coast of Canada with Mobil Oil, the company with which he'd spent the first 28 years of a distinguished career. That accomplishment and others won him numerous awards, including a gold medal from the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists for his distinguished service and technical excellence.

In recent years, Axford was chairman of Canadian Superior Energy and was instrumental in that company's entry into an offshore Nova Scotia exploration program. He was also president of his own private company, D.W. Axford and Associates, since 1977.

"Don was a true gentleman and made significant contributions to the industry and companies like Canadian Superior," said Greg Noval, chief executive officer of Canadian Superior Energy. "He will be missed by all of us, and on behalf of Canadian Superior I express our sincere condolences to Don's wife (Ruth), family and friends."

Axford is also survived by four children - daughter Janet and sons Jon, Robert and Eric - and six grandchildren. His wife Ruth, daughter Janet and sons Jon and Robert all have worked in the oil and gas business.

Axford was raised in Winnipeg during the Depression and educated at the University of Manitoba where he earned a bachelor of science degree. He was an officer with the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War before launching his career in the oilpatch as a geologist with Mobil Oil in 1948. He also worked for PetroCanada as vice-president of exploration.

"I love the business because of the adventurous risks that you have to take and the gambling nature of it," Axford told the Edge in 2001 in an interview in an office decorated by exploration maps that were his life's pride and joy.

Axford was inducted into the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame in 2001 and was a recipient of a distinguished service award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

He prided himself in being a no-nonsense straight-shooter whose handshake was as good as a contract.

"I'll always be absolutely straightforward," Axford said in the interview. "I'm old-fashioned. My word is a bond. And nowadays you can hardly even trust contracts with some companies. With me, integrity comes first."

In a letter of condolence to the Axford family, Nova Scotia Premier John Hamm lauded Don Axford for his contribution in helping stimulate the economy with oil and gas activity.

"Dad had a special place in his heart for Atlantic Canada going back to his days in the navy, so he would have been so proud of that," said Janet Axford Halls.