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Don John "Stewart" MacDonald

Don John "Stewart" MacDonald

On Wednesday, March 13, 2019, at the age of 93, Stewart MacDonald, passed away at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital in Antigonish surrounded by his four loving children (Stewart, Glenn, Darlene and Judy). Stewart was loved by everyone who knew him. His selfless acts and contributions to veterans’ issues will always be remembered.
Stewart was born on July 11, 1925, and grew up in Port Hawkesbury, Cape Breton. At the age of 17, he joined the Royal Canadian Army, and following intensive training in Manitoba and England, he was posted to the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, in Belgium in 1944. He was involved in numerous battles/operations in Holland and Germany until the end of the war. In 1949 he moved to Toronto, and in 1950 Stewart fell in love and married Leona Rivett. Leona has been a loving wife and a life-long friend to Stewart. Stewart joined the Royal Canadian Airforce in 1951 and after serving in Europe and throughout Canada he retired in Ottawa in 1977.
In 1990 he returned home to Cape Breton where he resided on five acres overlooking Bras d’Or Lakes until his passing. It was here that he was able to give back to his community and pursue his passion for honouring Canadian Veterans. He was a key founder and organizer of the Veterans Wall as well as the Veterans Memorial Park and Monument.
Stewart had a wide range of passions including, his Legion, his close-knit community and church, collecting unique military and other types of memorabilia, playing chess, crib and cards, studying geography and history, current events and debating politics, performing magic tricks, telling jokes, and most importantly making people laugh and smile. May all those who were touched by our Dad, find great comfort in those precious moments & memories he shared with you.
Stewart was preceded in death most recently by his grandson Jonas Mitchell; his father and mother, Alexander and Annie; his sister and brother-in-law, Margaret and Elliott Embree; his sister-in-law, Janet MacDonald and his brothers and sisters-in-law, Norma & Roy Garlick, Rudy Grzelak, Bill MacDonald, Mervin & Alice Rivett, Stan Matthews and Arnold Rivett.
He is survived by his loving wife & life-long friend, Leona; his four very proud children and spouses, Stewart (Donna), Glenn, Darlene and Judith (Glen); his 9 dear grandchildren and spouses; his 16 dear great-grandchildren; his beloved brothers Duncan and Alexander (Lois) MacDonald; his brother and sisters-in-law, Ted (Marg) Rivett, Vivian Grzelak, Lorraine MacDonald, Helen Matthews and Sherry Rivett; and his many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held on Friday, April 19, 2019, from 2-4 & 6-8 p.m. in Dennis Haverstock Funeral Home, 724 Granville St., Port Hawkesbury. The Funeral / Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 20 at 2 p.m. from Black River United Church with Rev. Donna Lovelace officiating. The Internment (family only) and a Reception in St. George’s Channel Community Hall will follow.
Memorial donations may be made in Stewart MacDonald’s name to:
MacKay Cemetery, c/o Mrs. J. Landry, 3632 West Bay Road, RR#2, West Bay, Nova Scotia, BOE 3K0.
Black River United Church, c/o 60 Manse Road, West Bay, Nova Scotia, B0E 3K0.
Veterans Memorial Park Society, P.O. Box 6972, Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, B9A 3S4.
Our most sincere thanks to all of Dad’s cherished friends, Legion members and the people of Inverness and Richmond Counties for enriching his life and making him so very, very happy; and to the entire medical staff at St. Martha’s Hospital for the wonderful care and support they provided to our Dad and our entire family.
Words of comfort may be forwarded to the family at: www.haverstocks.com.


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