Obituary of Wayne Alexander MacIntosh
My brother was my younger and only sibling. His name is Wayne Alexander MacIntosh. He was born July 23, 1954 in Cornwall, Ontario to parents Dan and Evelyn MacIntosh. Baby photographs reveal he was a beautiful baby with light blond hair and big blue eyes.
His toddler days are beyond my recall. My earliest and most vivid memory of Wayne was when he became very sick with pleurisy and pneumonia. He was 3 years old. He laid on the sofa attended by our caring and anxious mother and the family doctor who made two house calls during the night. My father’s face was shadowed with fear and a sense of helplessness. Wayne pulled through this critical situation. Good doctoring? Beside vigils by our parents? Yes. But I think this little boy began to show us signs of strength, perseverance and courage.
During Wayne’s early elementary school years he showed an incredible passion for the outdoors. His days were filled playing baseball and football with the neighborhood boys. His new tricycle with the long handle bar streamers and bell became a prized possession. He would race up and down the sidewalks with nary a care for pedestrians and moving vehicles, all adding to Mom’s distress. Two of Wayne’s favorite pastimes during his young years of six to nine, was playing the game of alleys and trading comic books. These activities always took place at the end of our driveway. Wayne was always protective of his little bag of alleys. The rules of the game were strict. Always vying for the top prize of the Tiger’s Eye or the large clear glass alley. The comic book trades were just as tough. He negotiated well and on occasion gave up a good trade to procure an Archie comic book for his sister.
Wayne’s creativity and vision began to highlight his later elementary school years when building and constructing projects monopolized his time. His earliest efforts saw the making of slingshots (unlikely known to Mom) and kites that didn’t quite make it into the air. He could analyze his construction problems and yes, those later kites did fly high into the sky. Wayne’s biggest construction efforts during those days went into the building of go-carts. He always seemed to find the building materials somewhere in Dad’s garage. Did he have building plans with meticulous sept by step instructions? No! Wayne could envision the final product and then set out to build. I do not know where he learned about wheels, axels and steering mechanisms but the go-carts always functioned to his joy and satisfaction.
Our grandparents had a small dairy farm outside the city. Wayne enjoyed his visits there because if offered acres of land to roam, investigate, ride tractors and play in the barn. Of course Wayne always pushed the rules to play safe when he climbed to the top of the old apple tree and waked the beams in the hay loft. I recall a visit to the farm during haying season when Wayne spent a day pitching hay onto the old hay wagon. By the end of the day he was exhausted, happy and proud to show his endurance and strength by ‘working with the men’. Of course his efforts did not go unnoticed as Grandpa would slip a quarter or fifty cents into Wayne’s palm.
Higher skilled sports filled Wayne’s high school years. He excelled at swimming, reaching the life guard level in no time. But his greatest love was track and field and basketball. Wayne’s track and field events include the high jump, and the hop, skip and jump. But his passion became the 440 meter race. Wayne entered and won many races held in the city and surrounding areas. Dad was proud to take Wayne to the local Scottish highland games where he competed and placed second to his high school friend. Wayne’s medals were displayed by his proud parents when they were pinned next to his grandfather’s tug-of-war medals on the MacIntosh tartan which hung on the wall of the family room.
Basketball took over Wayne’s life during the winter months. He played the positions of forward or center. The high school team was strong. Wayne enjoyed the competitiveness, the strategic game planning, and of course the camaraderie of his teammates. Wayne excelled at basketball and it was this game that won him a scholarship to Ryerson University in1972.
Throughout his life, Wayne showed many attributes that led him to be successful in his work as a civil engineer technician. He had an adventurous and curious personality. He was a problem solver and a critical thinker. He could envision the end goal of a project and problem solve along the way. He was a life time learner and a good organizer. I will remember Wayne’s courage to face challenges, his perseverance and grit to make things better for himself and those he loved. When you decided to leave us Wayne, know that is was with our love, with peace in your heart and faith in your soul.
A visitation will be held on Friday, October 25, 2019 from 6-8 p.m. at The Robert Anderson Funeral Home, 115-190 Macalpine Crescent, Fort McMurray, Alberta. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 26, 2019 between 12-4 p.m. at The Quality Inn, 424 Gregoire Drive, Fort McMurray, Alberta.
To send flowers to the family of Wayne MacIntosh, please visit Tribute Store
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Wayne
Alexander
MacIntosh 2019..
ROBERT ANDERSON FUNERAL SERVICES
Death notice for the town of: Fort McMurray, Province: Alberta