Obituary of Darryll Lee MacDonald

Darryll Lee MacDonald (Oct 31, 1939 to May 14, 2020) It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our father at his home in Stellarton on Thursday May 14/20, after a life of inspiring us to think deeply, to meet life’s challenges bravely, to demonstrate integrity unfailingly, to imagine freely without limits of conformity, to walk within nature lovingly, to laugh deeply any time we could and often/best when we shouldn’t, and to sing, dance, paint, photograph, savour life and celebrate, with abandon. He will be missed by us beyond description, and across time. He was born and grew up in Glace Bay, living through some pretty tough stuff while raising himself and honing his lightning brain, amazing athleticism and artistic talents, and that instant wry wit we all learned pretty quickly to stay on the right side of. As a child he was the only one among his little friends to live through polio, and after teaching himself how to walk again he did so his own way the rest of his days, never doubting his own steps or those his children would take. He began his career as a “repo man” while studying accounting, rapidly moving up the ranks of Industrial Acceptance Corporation finance company until he became branch manager, which required him to move with his family every 2-3 years. Once settled in Stellarton in 1976, he felt the time to move was over and that he had found his family a true home. He decided he would be a good fit for Michelin, that a Wednesday would be the best for sending in an application, and of course he was hired and enjoyed a career there until his retirement in 1994. Throughout his life he enjoyed hunting, fishing, excelling at any athletic activity he did, playing guitar, accordion, drums, harmonica, organ, and singing with family and friends, spending his most important time with his beloved wife Joan and offspring, and looking at even minute details of the world through his hilarious and amazingly intelligent lens. His tough childhood forged in him a complexity that we all understood, and that he battled within himself alone, his own way and at his own cost. He promised to never let his own early life experiences visit the lives of his children, and he kept that promise, with our eternal gratitude and admiration. Borrowing one of his mother’s expressions, our father was a “mountain of a man”; he will be incredibly missed, even as his impact and wisdom running through all our lives is still felt. He was the son of John Thomas and Joyce Verna (Shepard) MacDonald. He is survived by wife Violet “Joan” Lucy (Tavener), daughters Dara Lee MacDonald (Gerard MacDonald), Duana Lynn d’Entremont (Francois), Shauna Potter (David), and son Duane Maddin MacDonald (Rhonda), grandchildren Michael Wheatley (Alicia), Kayla Knight (Eddie), Ian Wheatley (Melissa), Kerry MacDonald, Sienna Potter (Alex Moore), Breton Potter, Aaron MacDonald, Jacob MacDonald, and Gregory MacDonald, step-grandchildren Sebastien Boudreau, Kristen d’Entremont, and Morgan d’Entremont (Emma Gracie), great-grandchildren Hayden Richardson, Max Wheatley, Declan Potter, Delilah Potter, Benjamin Wheatley, and Brantley Boudreau, nieces Tracey Buckland (Kurt), Bonita (Paul) Wolfe, Robert Hiscott and other out-of-province niece, nephews and great nieces and nephews. He is survived by his sister Myrna MacDonald (Elroy). Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his mother-in-law Michelle Tavener, father-in-law Peter Tavener, sisters Elizabeth MacDonald Hiscott, Juanita MacDonald Gill (Roger), Linda Stewart (Gerard Gouthro), brother Blaine (Ildiko Horvath). Per his request, he has been cremated and spreading of ashes will occur at future dates and locations meaningful throughout his life. Donations in his memory can be made to the Izaak Walton Killam Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or any charity. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, an electronic celebration of his life will take place via Zoom on Sunday, May 24th 2020 at 2PM, with the Reverend Sharon Lohnes of Beacon United Church in Yarmouth officiating. Family and friends are warmly invited to attend and share remembrances of our Dad via this link: Here's the Zoom Funeral link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84607248382?pwd=d08vRXJXWEdvU1BWS0pLWVVCZ3Q1dz09 Meeting ID: 846 0724 8382 Password: darryll 2. Start the audio by clicking Join Computer Audio 3. If you want to appear on camera, click “ Join Video