Obituary of Garry MacDonald

MacDONALD, Garry Ennis — 75, of Duncan's Cove, passed away on November 16, 2009, in the VG Site, QEII after a long and valiant battle with several cancers. Born September 23, 1934, in Moosejaw, Sask., he was the son of the late Malcolm Murdock MacDonald and the late Genevieve Buell (Code) MacDonald. Garry was a brilliant and multi-talented man who pursued a wide variety of interests and vocations. A skilled artisan, craftsman, technician, and tradesman, he designed and crafted many pieces of silver jewelry, specialized woodworking tools, half-hull ship models and electronic equipment. He was a precision cabinet-maker and carpenter, research equipment designer, and licensed ham radio operator who designed and built his own ham radio transmitting station. Additional interests were sailing, power boating, motorcycling, gunsmithing, woodcarving, machining, and ship model building. After attaining his private pilot's license, he bought, rebuilt and flew his cherished Aronca Champion airplane. Garry's talents also ran to building musical instruments, including a hammer dulcimer which was included in a cross-Canada exhibition with the Peter Whyte Gallery. Garry also excelled and advanced quickly in the many careers he pursued, beginning with his enlistment in the Black Watch (formerly the North Nova Scotia Highlanders) where he played the bagpipes in the Regimental Pipes and Drums Band and spent time in Germany, Italy, Scotland, and England and played in the Edinburgh (Scotland) Military Tattoo. His further careers included auto-body mechanic, sales, and electronics technician where he finished his career in 1994 as a Senior Technician at Dalhousie University. He also established two businesses of his own, Gemco Instrumentation and Precision Arms. Garry was highly respected and well-liked by the many friends he acquired in pursuit of his interests and careers. Always generous and giving with his time and skills, he was a very service-oriented individual who was a dedicated and valued member of the Herring Cove and District Volunteer Fire Department, where he became Fire Chief. He also was a former volunteer instructor for the N. S. Hunter Safety Education program and also Girl's Pipe Band in Truro 1963-64. Garry was a current or former member of many service clubs and organizations, some of which were the Musquodoboit Rifle and Revolver Club, Black Watch Association, Shearwater Yacht Club, Purcell's Cove Social Club, Chief, Petty Officers and Warrant Officer's Club, Windsor Park, and the National Rifle Association. Garry is survived by his wife, Marian (Dempsey); former wife, Eileen (Weatherbee) MacDonald; children Cynthia Bennett (Brian), Spryfield; Terri Murray (Paul), Eastern Passage; Scott (Anne), Toronto; and Nancy (Tim Amon), Windsor Junction; step-children Keith and Elizabeth grandsons, Craig, Jeffrey, Donovan, Nicholas; stepgrandsons, Danny, Jonathan, David, Kristopher, Matthew and Shane, and special niece, Ethel. He was predeceased by brother, Glenn. The MacDonald family would like to express their deepest appreciation and eternal gratitude to all staff at V.G. Site and QEII Health Sciences Centre who so specially cared for Garry and supported his family throughout his illness. Visitation will be held in J. Albert Walker Funeral Home, 149 Herring Cove Rd., Spryfield today from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m.; Friday, November 20, from noon to 2 p.m., with memorial service following immediately in the chapel, Rev. Don Shipton officiating. Reception in Purcell's Cove Social Club, 505 Purcells Cove Rd. Friday, November 20, 6-9 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to the International Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Foundation.