GUYSBOROUGH: A former municipal councillor who served two terms with the Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) passed away suddenly on Nov. 11.
Miles MacDonald’s obituary states the 74-year-old will be fondly remembered as a man of great character, with an immense devotion to his family. He’s remembered as being a faithful community member for 47-plus years, including 32 years of dedicated service as an educator in Guysborough schools, the obituary said.
“I looked to Miles numerous times for advice and opinions. He was a great sounding board who always worked as part of a team,” Warden Vernon Pitts said in a written statement. “He was a very valuable resource at the council table due to his education and knowledge acquired working with people. At times, he was the team player who would suggest sober second thought. He was a real people person who was amazed by how our municipality worked from an operational perspective.”
MacDonald was a strong advocate for Chedabucto Performance Place, acting as its chairperson for 12 years; he was also a firm believer in what has become the Chedabucto Lifestyle Complex (CLC), the municipality noted.
“Besides leaving a legacy as a devoted husband and father, he was also a hard-working, generous, compassionate man with a wonderful sense of humour,” his obituary reads.
According to his obituary, MacDonald spent much of his earlier years in hockey rinks, golf courses, on ballfields, and was scouted twice for the Boston Bruins. He passed on his love of hockey, golf, softball and other sports to his children, and was often one of the coaches involved, it said.
Pitts suggested the former councillor left his mark on every district in the municipality.
“Miles was a councillor for District 1 but he was first and foremost a councillor for all of MODG. He always had a keen interest and vigorously supported various projects throughout MODG,” Pitts said. “He was so pleased to see the municipality undertake the construction of the Country Harbour Marina. If memory serves me correctly, I believe he named Councillor (Rick) McLaren the ‘Commodore,’ and Rick was only too happy to accept his new title.”
Even after MacDonald decided to step down from council, the warden explained he continued to seek his advice on numerous issues.
“He had a wealth of common sense, an open mind and the wish to help others. He was a visionary who had the ability to gauge the impact of various projects; pros and cons,” Pitts said. “He realized that our municipality, not just Guysborough, has unlimited, untapped potential, be it from a residential perspective, from a business perspective, recreation perspective as well as a tourism perspective.”
A celebration of life took place at the CLC on Nov. 19, and a private burial will be held in Hardwood Hill Cemetery, Sydney, at a later date.
Donations in MacDonald’s memory can be made to GOALS, Guysborough Food Bank, or the breakfast program at Chedabucto Education Centre.
“As warden for the municipality, I considered Miles to be a strong team player whose family was very close to his heart,” Pitts said. “He had great respect for his fellow councillors and a willingness to work tirelessly for what he believed in. He will truly be missed by our community.”