Sunday, August 26th, 1984 – Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021
On a hot Sunday morning in August, our joy and sunshine arrived into this world, our family, and the future of so very many people whose lives he would touch. Joel came home from the Kincardine hospital to the southside at Princes and Albert Streets.
At 17 months he and his family moved to Inverhuron’s idyllic beach, sand dunes and woods, where Joel and his brothers Rob and Greg played and grew up. Here he rode his first Big Wheel bike, a noisy plastic 3 wheel “Dukes of Hazard” that could be heard long before it could be seen.
He found freedom riding his dirt bike, which he started saving for when he was just 8. An enterprising fundraiser with a mason jar in hand, he’d wait until his Dad’s friends started playing pool in the garage to ask if they’d like to contribute. He’d have 5s, 10s and 20s in his jar and soon had enough to buy his Honda 80. Summer was his favourite season, followed by winter for the GT snow racer, playing hockey on ice or on the road, and sledding on the Yamaha Enticer.
He loved sports: t-ball, baseball, basketball, hockey, ball hockey, skateboarding, golf, watersports, football. He held a track record at Bruce Central PS in Underwood for the 800 metres, and ran at the annual County Saugeen Bluffs cross country races. His Dad snuck him into the Maple Leaf Gardens for a game one March Break, and later his Uncle Andy used his journalist’s press pass to get him in to watch the Leafs practice.
Weekly piano lessons at Nana’s and Papa’s gave him a foundation for music, moving up to electric guitar, vocals, and eventually drumming in bands like Stickfit and ICmfP entertaining teen friends everywhere.
A busy pre-teen and teen, he shared a newspaper route, cut grass, worked at the Cottage Grocery pumping gas, KFC and then numerous jobs during harvest as the grain, soya beans, and corn were removed, the recycling plant and eventually the construction trades. Nightlife at the beach for campfires and friends, and fall fairs were highlights. Camping trips and vacations with family faded into the odd party at home while the parents were away sometimes touring in the Tony Montana or the Imapala-la.
He had a few nicknames starting with Joely Moely Man, Joel MacTout, Molson Joelson, and eventually being known as Cloudy.
As a young man he became known as a hard worker and appreciated in his brotherhood of Labourers Local 1059 and a 3rd generation nuclear worker. He bought his first house in Point Clark at the age of 22 and loved his Huron Township neighbourhood on Birch Crescent. He developed a love for Manitoulin Island for summer visits to family property at Milton Point and then his favourite Lake Mindemoya. Life before was grand.
Things changed dramatically at the age of 27 when Joel first learned he had developed a very rare and aggressive form of cancer. A misdiagnosis landed him in surgery before receiving an accurate and dire diagnosis requiring months of rigorous chemotherapy treatments that ravaged his body. He eventually returned to work and carried on living life the next few years from scan to scan and eventually was declared cancer free in 2017.
Life after his recovery picked up quickly because he had found the love of his life, a beautiful spirit Candice, who became his life partner and his rock. After thinking he’d never leave Point Clark, Joel and Candice moved into Kincardine and ended up in the southside neighbourhood Joel started out life in as an infant. Their lives became blessed and complete as a family when their beautiful baby boy, Ruxpin, joined them. Building their forever home on one of the few remaining large double lots. Life together as a family, with Candice’s loving family close by, was very good to them.
Then, cancer announced its ugly return again in October 2020. Joel’s theme song became Tom Petty’s I Won’t Back Down, friends, family and strangers and Bar Down so generously supported the #Cloudy Strong fundraisers, set up by good friends, which raised an enormous amount of money to see them financially through the toughest and darkest of days. The outpouring of love and support has been nothing short of phenomenal and everyone says it just reflects back the love they have received from Joel.
Our joy and sunshine, Joel, died peacefully in hospice. His twinkling eyes and magnetic grin is seen and will be remembered in the countenance of his son, Rux, who has a build and mannerisms just like his Dad and also carries all the goodness of his Mom. Our hearts are heavy, yet filled with gratitude for all the love we have for Joel, felt from him, and saw him spread wherever he went. He was sent here to teach us all how to be better humans, to love each other like family and to never be afraid to have fun! Our lives are lived better because of his example. We could all benefit to live like Joel.
Joel is survived by his beloved Candice and son, Rux, his parents, Susan and Robert Macleod, brothers Rob (Sita) and nephew Elden, and Greg (Sarah), and Candice’s parents, Darlene and Ron Bailey, her sister Jessi (Eric) and nephew, Maverick. Also, survived by his maternal Nana Sylvia Stepnow, and a large extended family on both sides of much-loved aunts, uncles, cousins and those he loved like family, across Canada and around the world.
We know he will be warmly welcomed by all the family and friends who have gone before him and have appeared in his dreams.
We will all strive to live like Joel.
Consider your friendship sacred. Nurture them and cherish them. Acknowledge and recognize the blessing of each person in your life.
Visitation will be held at the Davey-Linklater Funeral Home on Thursday, November 4, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.. Anyone wishing to attend the visitation must RSVP by using the link found in the service details below or by calling the funeral home (519-396-2701) during regular business hours. All attendees must wear a mask and respect physical distancing protocols. Proof of vaccination is not required.
A celebration of life will be held following the visitation at Bar Down, Kincardine from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.. Anyone wishing to attend the celebration of life must call 519-396-7423 to RSVP.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Huron Shores Hospice would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Joel Christopher Macleod Wednesday November 3rd 2021..
Death notice for the town of: Kincardine, Province: Ontario