Life Story: Jack MacDonald was 'a man
for all seasons'
By
Sylvia MacDonald
Published in the
Ottawa Citizen on December 10, 2014
Jack MacDonald
Born:
March 9, 1937 in Sydney, N.S.
Died:
Jan. 26, 2014 in Ottawa of a heart attack
My
husband, John Charles MacDonald, affectionately called Jack, the son
of a Cape Breton steelworker, came from humble beginnings but through
hard work and perseverance attained great success and was respected by
all who came into contact with him.
Jack
was born on Mar. 9, 1937 in Sydney, N.S. He passed away suddenly on
Jan. 26, 2014 of a heart attack.
He was
the oldest of seven children. His schooling was average except for
missing a year at the age of seven due to pleurisy. He graduated from
Sydney Academy in 1955. Jobs were scarce in Cape Breton and he did not
have the funds to attend university. A notice in
the post office for a career as a radio operator with training and pay
looked like a great opportunity. So he headed off to St. John
Vocational School in New Brunswick.
After
completing the course, he was posted to Nottingham Island in the
Arctic (an uninhabitable island) for 14 months in 1958-59 at the
weather station. He said there were two buildings, one they lived in
and the other was the weather station. There was a rope between the
two that was used in case of whiteouts. The station was comprised of
five employees and two Inuit families who the government hired to look
after the buildings and sled dogs. Life at the weather station was
cold and desolate but it was a stepping stone to furthering his
education. Jack’s replacement there was his brother, George.
After the north, Jack was posted to Sydney Airport. It was at this
point that we met. That Christmas Jack sent a message to George:
“Let’s go to university.” George’s reply was, “OK, but what will we
take?” After some thought they settled on engineering. They both
enrolled at Dalhousie.
The
main way he paid for his education was working as a radio operator in
the summers. The first summer he worked on the ice breaker, Labrador.
On their way north they ran into a hurricane. Jack was the only one on
board able to man the station as everyone else was sick. He was sure
they weren’t going to survive the trip. He also worked at the Bedford
Institute of Oceanography, which is Canada’s largest federal centre
for oceanographic research, and Camperdown Marine Radio.
After
graduation, we moved to Ottawa and Jack started working at Transport
Canada. Other than a short term in Marine Branch, he worked in Air
Navigation Services. He was involved in modernizing Canada’s air
traffic system. In 1986 he was made director of the Technical Services
Branch, where he worked until his retirement in 1990.
Jack’s
passion, aside from family and work, was sports. When our
three children were very young, he played and helped coach the
Barrhaven Men’s Fastball Team. He was a long time member of the Hunt
& Golf Club. Once the children were involved in sports, he became a
coach, umpire and huge fan. He coached for Pinecrest Little League for
many years. The boys and I would meet him at the ball diamond when he
was on his way home from work, with a change of clothes and an apple.
In the winter he would switch to coaching hockey for Nepean Minor
Hockey and for a few years was on the board of NMHA. One year he
coached three teams and we didn’t have a child playing on one team.
He was
extremely proud of his family. He presented our daughter, Kim, with
her engineering ring at Carleton. Jack was amazed at Troy’s skills and
his ability to build us a four-season sun room. Jack’s love of sports
led Scott to attend the University of Michigan on a track
scholarship. Our grandson son, Dylan, was the joy of his life and
Jack was thrilled that he was involved in sports and he, of course,
was Dylan’s biggest supporter, especially in hockey.
In
June 2013 we celebrated our 50th wedding. Jack was my best friend and
soulmate and a man of integrity, principle, kindness and
encouragement.
—
Sylvia MacDonald was Jack MacDonald’s wife
