Don MacLean (died 2017)
| Don MacLean | |
|---|---|
| Donald MacLean | |
| Born | 1941-12-27 Cadillac, Quebec |
| Died | 2017-03-05 Thunder Bay |
| Occupation | highway project supervisor and musician |
| Employer | Ontario Ministry of Transportation |
| Father | |
| Mother | |
| Partner | |
Don MacLean (27 December 1941 – 5 March 2017 (aged 75)) was a Quebec-born highway project supervisor with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation in northwestern Ontario who also played country music, built theatre sets and lectured part-time in computer science at Lakehead University.[1]
Work and music
MacLean was born on 27 December 1941 in Cadillac, Quebec. He worked as a project supervisor for the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) on roads and bridges across Northwestern Ontario, spending two years at the Downsview office in Toronto while his wife Margaret studied at the University of Toronto and finishing his career at the Thunder Bay office. After a teaching-techniques course at George Brown College he taught courses for MTO staff and was for some years a sessional lecturer in computer science at Lakehead University. He retired from the MTO in 1994 and travelled widely on driving holidays, tours and cruises.[1]
He loved country and western music, played guitar and wrote songs, and with Brian Merritt played bars in Thunder Bay and the region. While working in Kenora he wrote "Beckett's Village Inn", whose words hung over the bar for years. At Lakeview High School he operated the lights for Johnny Cash, who remained his idol. He was also master set-builder for the Cambrian Players, building sets for productions that Margaret directed or acted in.[1]
Death and family
MacLean died on 5 March 2017 at St. Joseph's Hospice, and a celebration of his life was held on 18 March at the Dragon's Den. His parents Ray and Marguerite MacLean, his parents-in-law Dunlop and Audrey Wilson, and his nephew Darryl Wilson died before him. He was survived by his wife of 51 years, Margaret, and was remembered by in-laws and nieces and nephews including Ron and Jean Wilson, Murray and Lynne Wilson, Robert and Carolyn Wilson, Darlene and Don Seaver, Luann and Ron Sainsbury, and Sheila and Brad Arding, as well as many Sevigny relatives in Quebec.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Entry for Mr. Don MacLean, "In Memoriam", Retirees' Association of Lakehead University, https://www.lakeheadretirees.ca/in-memoriam/ (accessed 31 October 2026). Archived copy on datum.locker.