Roy 'Rusty' McNeil
Born In: Glace Bay
Born: January 20th, 1931
Passed on: March 2nd, 2019
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of our uncle, Roy (Rusty) McNeil of Bowser, British Columbia, Saturday, Mar. 2.
Rusty was born Jan. 20, 1931 at Caledonia Mines, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. He was the son of Dan "O" McNeil and Dora Royal.
He is survived by one brother, Alex, of British Columbia.
He was predeceased by his, wife Marg; both parents, brothers, Rannie (Margret) of Glace Bay, John "Jay" (Marg) of Toronto, Richard (Isabell) of Toronto, James (Chuckie) of Glace Bay and his sisters, Margret "Sis" (Tono Portilla) of Sooke, B.C., Marjori (Leo Ryan) of N. Ont., and Kathleen "Ted" (Bill Walker) of Toronto.
Rusty had a strong bond with his father, largely in part due to his ability to excel in High School with apparent ease. He would make the "Honors Roll" time and time again. This coupled with his uncanny knack for training his dads roosters in " Championship Cock Fighting" was more than enough to secure his position within the family. Rusty also had a strong connection to his community as well. Turns out Rusty was the daily newspaper delivery boy throughout most of the war years. In addition to his paying customers, many a miner would rely on him to bring them up to speed on current affairs. As Rusty would say " keep in mind many along the route could not read or write - newspapers were of little use to these folks so I didn't mind helping out". Needless to say, his decision to explore life’s offerings elsewhere affected more than family.
Rusty left at a young age and as luck would have it at age 16 while hitching to Ont. and beyond, he was struck by a vehicle and spent several months recovering. Not to be deterred, he soon started off again with his pal Pete Timmons and eventually settled in British Columbia where he found work as a lumberjack. This career he carried on for almost 50 years. Along with a keen interest in the logging industry Rusty had a passion for tinkering with anything mechanical. He was definitely considered a top-notch shade tree mechanic by friends and neighbors in the Bowser area. His back yard was often littered with vehicles, household appliances and everything in between in various state of repair.
Rusty will be forever missed by many nieces and nephews from coast to coast. Special thanks to his niece, Jaquie Phillips for all her love and care in his time of need. Also, to close friend, Christo Kuun for the many years of companionship. Thanks to the staff at Trillium Lodge in Parksville for all their effort.
Cremation has taken place, no services offered.
