Obituary of John MacKarney
The MacKarney family deeply regrets to announce that John William MacKarney of Westville, Nova Scotia passed away at Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow on August 7, 2023 at the age of 84. He will be forever in our hearts and memories.
John was born in Beaver Harbour, Nova Scotia to John “Jack” MacKarney and Charlotte “Lottie” (Leask) MacKarney.
He joined the Air Force in 1957 and married Joyce Oickle in 1964. He was stationed in North Bay, Ontario and later at Greenwood Nova Scotia. In 1977 he retired from the Air Force and went to work at the Michelin plant in Granton, Nova Scotia and the family moved to Westville. While working at Michelin, John was able to find time to keep honey bees, raise chickens and plant a large garden that would continue to get larger every year. After 17 years, John retired from Michelin and became even more involved in the community. Upon his retirement, he continued his involvement in the Garden Club, he joined the Acadia Park Advisory Committee, the crime prevention committee, the youth centre, and he and Joyce volunteered with Meals on Wheels. John was recognized as a dedicated blood donor, volunteer of the year and in 2019 their street was renamed MacKarney Lane in honour of John and Joyce’s volunteer efforts for the town.
John is survived by his wife Joyce (Oickle) MacKarney and his children, Terrence, Trevor, Pam and her spouse José Pineiro, Melanie and her spouse Edward Ballard, his sister Charlotte “Charl” Mercer and his grandchildren Jessica, Issac, Michael and Allyson.
Memorial donations may be made to Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia, 112-2719 Gladstone Street, Halifax, NS B3K 5J7 or at https://alzheimer.ca/ns/en/donate
The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Teresa and Donna of CareForce and to the staff at the Aberdeen Hospital, particularly the 4th floor surgery wing and the 5th floor transitional wing.
Visitation will be held at Eagles Funeral Home in Westville on Thursday, August 10th from 6pm to 8pm. A graveside service will be held at Beaver Harbour Cemetery on Friday, August 11th at 2pm with Reverend Dr. Glenn Matheson officiating.