Obituary of Earl James MacDonald, Glace Bay

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Earl James MacDonald, at the age of 88yrs. Earl passed away on Thursday, October 19, 2017, at the QE2 Hospital, Halifax with his daughter Carol Ann Cotter and niece, Leah King by his side.

Born in Dominion he was the son of the late Alexander and Blanche (MacPhee) MacDonald. Earl was a true gentleman and it was often said that his smile and cheerfulness lit up a room making everyone he spoke with feel special and appreciated.

Along with his great love of family, Earl had a passion for the land; from working a farm to mowing the grass, to turning sods, to coordinating community allotment gardens.He was a graduate from Agricultural College in Truro, NS. His working career was with the Security Division of DEVCO, a division he truly enjoyed working in, retiring in 1984.

Physical fitness was always highly prized and for years you could see him running along Dominion Beach or walking Reserve Street with Honeybear his Shih Tzu. In addition, Earl taught weight lifting for decades, enjoyed skating and dancing, and as a young boxer, won the Golden Gloves Championship for Cape Breton.

Along with the piano and harmonica, Earl loved to play the fiddle; and his home often hosted lively parties and other festive gatherings.

He was a devout Catholic who attended or watched Mass daily, said the Rosary faithfully and studied about the lives of Saints and Popes.

Earl is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Audrey (nee McDonald) daughters Mildred Lynn McDonald  (Bill Murphy) Sebastopol, California; Carol Ann (Robert) Cotter, St John's,  Newfoundland; son Earl Brenton (Sarah) MacDonald San Francisco, California; and his two granddaughters Sophia Suzanne Audrey MacDonald (4 years old), and Katherine Kelly MacDonald (9 months old), both of California and step-grandson, Nathan Cotter, Newfoundland;  brother Donald, Bolton, Ontario and his sisters Claire Way, Mississauga, Ontario and Mary MacNeil, Dominion. He will also be sadly missed by many nieces, nephews and friends.

Besides his parents, Earl was also predeceased by brothers Joe, Lou, Arthur “Art”, Harvey, Michael “Al”; sisters Evelyn Jessome and Florence MacDonald; and three young siblings Carol Ann, Stanley and Alexander.

In the final two years of his life, and in spite of his declining health, Earl faithfully visited his "Audrey" at Seaview Manor with fierce determination and a loving commitment to be admired.

The family would like to thank everyone for their kind words, special stories, comical antidotes and treasured remembrances.

There will be no visitation. A Funeral Mass celebrating Earl's life will be held 10:00am Monday, October 23rd, in St Anne's Church, Glace Bay with Fr. Norman MacPhee presiding.

Immediately following the Mass, all are invited to meet with the family during a reception in the church foyer.

Cremation will follow with interment at a later date

Online condolences to the family may be expressed at www.vjmcgillivray.ca