John Allan MacQuarrie
1949-2020
MacQuarrie, John Allan, age 70,
of Mulgrave passed away peacefully in St. Martha’s Regional
Hospital on February 1, 2020.
Born in Antigonish, he was the son of the late Allan Dan and
Margaret MacQuarrie of Queensville.
John will be greatly missed by so many. He was always there
to lend a helping hand and had a wealth of knowledge on how things
worked. If it was broke, John could fix it. He was a man who did not
know the word “no” or the phrase “I
can’t”. He touched the lives of everyone he met and in
many cases changed them for the better. He was a man who loved to
laugh and make anyone around him do the same. He was a long time
member of the Seven Communities Volunteer Fire Department and served
as a mentor and knowledge base for a large number of people in a
variety of trades. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion for
over fifty years and involved with the Salvation Army for over forty
years.
John had a long and varied career. At the age of 16 John
started a band called The Exiles and played all over Cape Breton,
Guysborough and Antigonish Counties. At the age of 17 he joined the
Canadian Armed Forces (Air Force), and shortly after took Gloria
Hendsbee as his wife. In the Forces he became certified in mechanics
and electronics trades and reached the rank of Corporal, Upon
retirement, he returned home and worked at Colin R. MacDonald
Construction as a heavy equipment mechanic and operator. This is where
he met his best friend Alfie DeLorey. Following a stint with
construction, he and Alfie found jobs on the oil rigs with Rowan
Drilling. John went to the rig as a general laborer but it turned into
a position in the engine room. During this time he also managed to
find time to be an integral part of starting the first fire department
in Goshen. After leaving the oil rigs, he and his wife Gloria moved to
Sault Ste. Marie where John found employment at Algoma Central Railway
working as a certified diesel mechanic, heavy equipment mechanic and
propane gas fitter working on the large diesel train engines. When the
railway went on strike, he and Gloria moved back home to Nova Scotia
where John started his own business (John’s Small Engines)
which was successfully run until he and his partner had a falling out.
He then began working at Mount St. Bernard College as a stationary
engineer in their boiler room. When Mount St. Bernard closed, John
worked with the Coast Guard as a lighthouse keeper, bringing his wife
and newborn baby boy to White Head Island when John-Curtis was only 5
days old. The family spent seven and one half years on the island,
looking after the lighthouse and all it entails, until the Coast Guard
closed the light keeping operation and he and his family moved ashore
where John and all of his 14 licensed trades were eagerly accepted to
remain as a Coast Guard employee. He became an INM Tech where he was
able to repair and work on all the nautical aids the Coast Guard still
controlled. From this position he worked again as a diesel engine
mechanic and electronics tech. along with getting his certification in
electrical and solar.
After working for many years for the Coast Guard and nearing
age of retirement, he became an instrumental part of the opening of
“Out of the Fog Lighthouse Museum” and helping his wife form
keepers of the beacons. A job he was able to pursue with much more
passion after his retirement.
Sadly, ill health and misfortune came his way. He suffered
burns and became ill with a heart condition. He had to have an
artificial valve and eventually developed liver cancer. A gradual
decline ensued and in 2019 his health began a steeper decline where he
saw several long hospital stays and then being bed ridden. The
beginning of 2020 saw the worst of his health and eventually he was
hospitalized with kidney failure. John passed away peacefully in his
sleep on February 1. 2020.
He will be greatly missed by his wife, Gloria (Hendsbee); son
John-Curtis (Sherrie), grandchildren Amie, Aiden, Kyra and Kale;
brothers Wayne, Charlie and Donald, sisters Marie and
Margaret-Ann.
Cremation has taken place. A Celebration of Life will be held
at a later date. Donations in memory may be made to The Salvation
Army, 2011 Diamond Street, Westville, NS B0K 2A0. Online condolences:
www.ccurry.com.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of John Allan MacQuarrie 19492020..
Death notice for the town of: Antigonish, Province: Nova Scotia