McDonnell, Robert, M.Eng.,
P.Eng.
With
great sadness, we announce the passing of Robert McDonnell.
Born in Ireland in 1930, he made Canada his chosen land but never
relinquished the pull of the old country. He remained in
Antigonish, NS until the end with the love of his life, Brigid Teresa
(Breeda, nee Bowen).
Having
survived a difficult but heroic childhood after the death of his
mother when he was eight, Bob decided to pursue an engineering
education after observing the site engineer on the road crew he worked
with at age fourteen. He finished secondary school by
correspondence while working (and living) in a shop in
Galway. He won increasingly large scholarships and
eventually a B.Eng (with 1st Class Honours)
from the University of Ireland (Galway campus) in 1953. He
followed this with a M.Eng. in Civil Engineering (Geotechnical) from
Nova Scotia Technical College (now Dalhousie Engineering) in
1965.
Bob
emigrated to Canada in June 1957 to take up a job with the NS Dept. of
Highways, after deciding between job offers in Nova Scotia and
Uganda. Breeda followed him in October, and they were
married in Antigonish two days after her arrival there. Bob
planned the whole wedding himself. In 1957. Their
wedding story is epic and takes about thirty minutes to tell
properly.
Bob
pursued two careers simultaneously over his lifetime – as a
consulting civil engineer and as a professor of engineering at St.
Francis Xavier University. It is difficult to travel or work
in Nova Scotia and PEI without encountering structures designed by him
– in Antigonish alone, these include Nicholson Tower, the
Philatelic Centre, and the Antigonish Arena. He designed
over thirty highway bridges during his career. His 31-year
tenure at St. F. X means we still have alumni dropping by to pay
their respects. I’m his son and I’m one of
them.
Bob had
a fierce intellect. He held his beliefs strongly and loved
defending them through spirited discourse. He also had an
uncanny ability to turn the topic of any conversation to
Ireland.
Bob was
a lifelong member of Engineers Nova Scotia and served in various
capacities with them, including chair of the committee which set up
their mentorship programme. He received an Honorary Life Membership
from ENS in 1999. He was a fellow of the Canadian Society
for Civil Engineering and a member of both the Institute of Civil
Engineers and the Institute of Structural
Engineers.
He is
survived by his loving wife Breeda, his siblings Gilbert (Mary) and
Helen (Joseph), and his sons Seán (Rebecca) and Darach
(Wanda), and grandchildren Adam and Emma Wootton, and Fionn and Conn
McDonnell.
He is
predeceased by his parents, Vincent and Helen (Gilmartin); his
siblings, Vincent and Susan; and his daughter, Siobhán
(Wootton).
Cremation has taken place, and a funeral
Mass will be held when COVID restrictions allow.
In
Memoriam, donations to L’Arche Antigonish or the Antigonish
Food Bank appreciated.
Funeral
arrangements are under the direction of C.L Curry Funeral Home,
Antigonish. Online condolences: www.clcurry.com.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Robert McDonnell 1930 2021..
Death notice for the town of: Antigonish, Province: Nova Scotia
This is a gorgeous tribute to Bob. Also he had an excellent sense of humour. Told a story that would always engage you and great timing in his dry wit. Always said just enough. No wasted words. Immensely proud of his lovely family . Even more immensely proud of his West of Ireland roots. Canada’s gain was Ireland’s loss. We will mix a batch of Manhattans in memory. I’m sure Michael Bowen has a batch waiting above. Love always
Breeda , We are so sad ,…… thinking of you all the time.
We were so lucky to have him in our lives.
He was a charming host and a great guest.
I will always remember his softly spoken,deeply moving version of Yeats’s
Song of Wandering Aengus,…..it was as if we were hearing it for the very first time.
.
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out, ……
Margot.