Parcourez la nécrologie de James William Neal “Jim MacDonald December 23rd 1934 December 31st 2022 résidant dans la province Ontario pour le détail des funérailles
It is with utterly broken hearts that the family of James William Neal “Jim” MacDonald announces his passing on December 31, 2022, at home, at the age of 88.
Jim was Joan’s loving husband and best friend for over 67 years. Daughters Carla (John) and Christine (Robert) always considered their dear dad their hero. He was the family’s rock. He adored his grandsons Michael (Heather) and Tristan Carswell, and was blessed by two great-grandsons, Brody and Lincoln. He was predeceased by his father Peter and Grandmother Mary, his mother Florence and his half-sister Gayle Bingle, and his beloved grandson Tristan.
Dad loved his sports. He was a life-long devoted Leafs fan and raised his family to be the same. He played football in high school, then baseball, then turned his attention to refereeing hockey. The players always considered him a fair guy for the 25 years he refereed in Sarnia-Lambton and he is still remembered fondly by many players from that era. When his grandsons played hockey, he was always there—standing at the glass behind the net, coaching in silence (‘Head up, stick on the ice!’). The boys knew right where Grandpa was and Tristan used to grin and fire a puck at the glass right at the end of the pre-game warm-ups to say “Hi, Grandpa!”
Mom and Dad were avid golfers and long-time members at Greenwood Golf Course in Sarnia, and encouraged their grandsons to learn the game. Dad ferried Tristan to golf tournaments all over Southwestern Ontario—getting lost only once (a tale told and re-told at family dinners, to the amusement of all—including Dad, who was never hesitant to laugh at himself). In later years, Dad spent many a hot summer day either in the Greenwood starter shack or scoring for a tournament. They were also members of the Sarnia Ski Club for many years. We went skiing as a family, too, in the western states and provinces.
Always the gentleman, it was ladies first, no elbows on the table and—for goodness sakes!—don’t wear a hat to the dinner table!
When folks first met Dad, they sometimes thought he was grumpy (just ask Robert or John). But he wasn’t. He might wear a pretty stern expression on his face, but he had the most hilarious and deadpan sense of humour! A voracious reader, Dad seemed to know something about just about everything; we always thought he’d clean up on “Jeopardy”.
Dad met Mom while working at City Hall together, although it was a rocky start: Mom thought Dad had been hired to replace her! Dad soon went on to work in the Distillation Lab in the Research Department of Imperial Oil for 35 years before retiring. He had close, long-lasting friendships with many of the guys he worked with there. After retiring, he volunteered at Red Cross and drove their van for many years, taking clients to their appointments.
He drove us all over the States when we were growing up, visiting family and friends in Fort Worth, San Francisco, Tucson, Wichita, and Salt Lake City. We are lucky to have so many fond memories of those trips (like the time Dad scaled a palm tree to rescue Carla’s Mickey Mouse balloon on a trip to Disneyland!). After Dad retired, he and Mom went on extended winter golfing trips to Myrtle Beach and evolved into Snowbirds who spent a few months in Florida for a few winters. Mom and Dad also travelled to Europe more than once and went skiing over there and out west.
He was the most wonderful and loving husband, dad, grandpa, and great-grandpa that any of us could have asked for and we always made sure he knew how we felt. When we told him we loved him he’d say, ‘Right back atcha!’ He is so greatly missed and we know he is keeping an eye on us, alongside his grandson Tristan, watching every Leafs game with us and hoping they’ll finally win that Cup again!
Many thanks to the staff of BWH who took great care of him during his stays, to Dr. Cynthia Arnold who provided excellent care for both Mom and Dad over the years, to Dr. John O’Mahony for his most recent attentive and responsive care, and to Pharmacist Alana Szafron and her caring staff at Walmart Pharmacy who always asked after Dad’s and Mom’s well-being when we picked up their prescriptions.
Our gratitude also goes to the Paramedics, the Firefighters and the Police Officers who responded to our call.
In lieu of flowers, sympathy may be expressed through donations to the Ontario Heart & Stroke Association or the Parkinson Society of Southwestern Ontario—with our grateful thanks. Per his wishes, cremation has taken place and we will host a celebration of his life later this year. If we have not been in personal contact with you yet, and you would be interested in attending, please email topshelf1616@yahoo.ca. Arrangements entrusted to Smith Funeral Home, 1576 London Line, Sarnia.
December 23rd 1934 December 31st 2022
Décès pour la Ville:Sarnia, Province: Ontario
avis deces James William Neal “Jim MacDonald December 23rd 1934 December 31st 2022
nécrologie James William Neal “Jim MacDonald December 23rd 1934 December 31st 2022
Nous offrons nos plus sincères condoléances à la famille et aux amis de James William Neal “Jim MacDonald December 23rd 1934 December 31st 2022 et espérons que leur mémoire pourra être une source de réconfort pendant cette période difficile. Vos pensées et vos mots aimables sont grandement appréciés.