Obituary of Neil R. Macdonald

It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Neil Ramsay Macdonald. After a courageous fight against colorectal cancer, Neil left us, surrounded by family on September 9, 2020 at the young age of 58, at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto Ontario. Survived by his parents Ian and Heather (née Ramsay) Macdonald of Ottawa; his fiancée Caroline O’Dwyer, of Calgary; his beloved children Victoria (Yohan) of Bangalore, India, and Christopher of Spruce Grove, Alberta. His brothers Ross (Sonia) of Arnprior and Scott of Squamish, British Columbia. His nieces and nephews, Camille, Andrew, Kieran, and Callan; as well as cousins Lynda and Stephen Hewitt, Alex, Kevin, and Ian Jones. Born in Ottawa on May 2, 1962, Neil attended Sir Robert Borden High School. With his strong love of flying, he joined Air Cadets, and won his first flight scholarship while too young for power flight, so his first wings were for soaring. Winning another flight scholarship the following year, he earned his power wings, and while still in high school earned his night rating. Neil joined the Royal Canadian Air Force at age 19, and attended Royal Roads Military College and Royal Military College, Kingston, graduating in 1984. In the RCAF he flew Hercules transports, was an instrument check pilot, and a multi-engine aircraft instructor. Retiring from the RCAF as a captain he joined Air Canada and flew most types of planes in their fleet; culminating as captain on the Boeing 777 with 25 years in the company. Neil especially enjoyed when he could fly children from the Dreams Take Flight foundation to Disney, where he would put on his Mickey Mouse ears to help entertain the kids and loved to see the smiles on their faces. Besides flying Neil had a passion and love for sailing and was a member of the Lakeshore Yacht Club in Toronto. He was always ready for an adventure on the waters and loved to travel, trying out local cuisines and activities. He loved life and the people in it - he was always there to help out or to provide support. Neil leaves a legacy of courage, grace, dignity, humour, and awareness of the needs of others. A remarkable human being, Neil will be missed by his many friends, colleagues, and family.The family wishes to express their gratitude for the magnificent care and compassion of the nurses and doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital.A Memorial Service will be held at Capital Funeral Home and Cemetery, 3700 Prince of Wales Dr., Nepean on Saturday October 3, 2020 at 1:00 pm followed by a reception. *Due to COVID restrictions, guests will be required to pre-register by calling the funeral home at 613-692-1211 between the hours of 9 – 5, and adhere to current guidelines* For those unable to attend, a digital copy of the Order of Service is available (to the right and at the top of this page), as well as the Live Stream at https://distantlink.com/DLM19.html Ticket ID: Arbor2020 Starting at 1:00 pm.A celebration of Neil’s life will take place in Toronto in July 2021.In lieu of flowers, donations to Dreams Take Flight – Calgary Chapter in Neil’s name (https://yyc.dreamstakeflight.ca - Calgary chapter) or to a charity of your choice would be appreciated.