Passed away in his 84th year on Tuesday May 27th, 2025.
John was the son of John (Jack) and Sarah (Sadie, nee Irwin) of Tarbutt Township. He was a loving and supportive husband to Phyllis (nee Hudson) for sixty-two years. Father to wonderful daughters Cheryl (Bob Coutu) and Heather (Mark Wiederkehr). Proud Grampa to Victoria MacKay-Coutu (Jordan Phillips) and Nathan MacKay-Coutu (Gabriella Bernardo) who showed great respect and compassion for him.
John was predeceased by brother Ralph and sister-in-law Shirley (nee Brunton) and leaves behind niece Carey Smith and nephews Keith and Kevin MacKay. He is survived by brother-in-law Ken Hudson (Thelma).
After graduating from Tech in Sault Ste. Marie, John began a forty-year career in the skilled trades, as an Auto Body Repairer and Refinisher at a local dealership. He always drove Fords, rode Rupps and Yamahas. None of them he bought new, but all of them he rebuilt and refinished. He loved to ride dirt bikes and snowmobile with family. It was a good day if you ended up smelling like two-stroke exhaust.
He was a calm and patient guy, teaching the kids and grandkids how to drive almost anything. Even if they ended up in the raspberries, a culvert, or rotten stump in the yard, which the girls all did. He never got angry or yelled, he just took it to back to the shed for repairs.
Family vacations often revolved around some type of motorsport event. Top fuel drag car championships, snowmobile or stock car races, usually in Michigan. He never owned a nerdy station wagon. Instead, he converted a used cargo van into a camper van for family road trips. Painted it black, of course, and decked it out with a flare kit, wide tires, chrome rims, and a pair of captain chairs in the front. In retirement his toys moved slower as John enjoyed time on the tractor, ploughing, planting and puttering around on the farm. His International Harvester cleaned up for local parades and tractor trots each year, usually with the grandkids riding along or being towed.
John was a kind and gentle soul, with a great sense of humour. He loved a good practical joke and was quick with a one liner to make you laugh. Just as quick to offer help to anyone who asked. That is how we hope he is remembered.
A private service will be held at a later date. Memorial donations to the PSW Outreach program or the Dr HS Trefry Memorial Centre would be appreciated. Please indicate which program in memo (cheques made to Township of St. Joseph). E-transfers can be sent to payments@stjosephtownship.com with a note in memory of John MacKay. To receive a tax receipt, please include your name and mailing address with the transfer. For assistance, please call the Trefry Centre at 705-246-0036.
Arrangements entrusted to the Arthur Funeral Home - Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. E. 705-759-2522). Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.arthurfuneralhome.com for the MacKay family.