MALCOLM LAWRENCE 'LARRY' MACPHERSON
Passed in: BEN EOIN
Passed on: September 15th, 2017
Surrounded by his family, Malcolm Lawrence “Larry” MacPherson died peacefully at home in Ben Eoin, N.S., on Sept. 15, 2017, after a short battle with lung cancer.
He was pre-deceased by his beloved wife, Barbara “Barb” Jean MacPherson (nee Kenney), who died earlier this year. Larry was lost without Barb after building a wonderful life together, full of shared accomplishments.
Among them were Larry’s ground-breaking tenure in the administration of Holland College in Charlottetown; his stint as P.E.I.’s deputy minister of tourism, management of Labrador College in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, periods managing Tourism Cape Breton and the Sydney airport, and most recently as the founders and proprietors of the Birches at Ben Eoin.
Larry and Barb are now reunited after months apart, no longer managing an inn, but rather enjoying their eternal stay as guests in the Kingdom of God.
Larry’s life was a full one that took him all over the continent in a myriad of professions, but to him, his greatest accomplishments and sources of pride were his marriage and his family.
Larry is survived by his sons, Donald (Emily Bell), of Fredericton, N.B., Derek (Alexandra), of Barrie, Ont.; Darcy of Winnipeg, MB. and Devan (Kendra), of Lethbridge, Alta.
As per Larry’s wishes, each of the boys has shared a thought about their parents here:
Donald: “They set a shining example of partnership and parenthood.”
Derek: “They showed me what it is to be strong, that coming out of one’s self is to care.”
Darcy: “Together they pushed me as close as possible to my potential.”
Devan: “They reminded us that life is a team sport and that family is the ultimate team”.
Larry’s devotion to his family yielded the reward of grandparenthood. His grandson, Callum, 7, of Fredericton; and granddaughter, Ryan, 1, of Barrie, were the lights of his life in his golden years.
Larry is also survived his brothers, Kevin (Shirley), Fulton (Ruth) and Charles; his sisters, Pauline Mesher (Robert) and Carmelina MacPherson-Bourner (Richard). He was pre-deceased by his parents, Daniel and Julia; his brothers, Walter, Daniel, Donald, Ian and Paul; and sister, Eulene.
Larry started out working in the coal mines in his hometown of New Waterford, N.S., before travelling to the U.S. in his 18th year for work. After surviving a tunnel collapse and recovering from a broken back near Boston, he returned to Canada. He met Barb in B.C. when they were both teaching in the late 1960s, and after they married, he eventually returned to school to become a social worker.
Fortunes took the couple to P.E.I., where Larry eventually shifted into a career in public administration, supported by Barb at every step. They built a life and raised a family in Charlottetown before setting off on new adventures and challenges after his first retirement and after the boys were through their undergraduate education.
Visitation will take place at Chant’s Funeral Home in Sydney, N.S., on Monday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
Funeral service will be held at St. Mary’s Church in East Bay, N.S., on Tuesday at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Mary’s Parish.
HIs sons endeavour to honour Larry by being dedicated professionals, decent men, and devoted partners and parents: They’ll also likely keep his spirit alive by retelling his many favorite though corny jokes. We close with the most fitting of those jokes.
What did one casket say to the other casket? “Is that you coffin?”
