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March 19, 1934 - February 10, 2024

In loving memory ~

It is with great sadness that we announce Frederic MacDonald passed peacefully with his daughter by his side on February 10th in Oliver BC.

Fred was a loving father, grandfather & great grandfather and is survived by daughters Janet MacDonald, Nancy MacDonald (Allan) Wilford, first wife Joycelyn MacDonald, second wife Juliet Hoffman, son Fred MacDonald, daughter Ruth (Fred) Burke, as well as his grand & great-grandchildren: Jarrett (Denise) Burke (Wayne & Raymond), Alora (Mike) Ladobruk (Houston & Rivlyn) and Deandra (Kurtis) Bond (Kallie & Brooks).

He is predeceased by his late wife Carole and siblings Jean, Ted and Bruce.

Fred was born on March 19th, 1934 in Digby County, Nova Scotia to Mary and Angus MacDonald.

Fred followed the path of all of his siblings when he joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1950 which brought him to Peterborough Ont. From there, he was stationed in Victoria for training and not long after was sent to Korea for the war. In Korea, he was a Private with the 25th Brigade HQ with the Royal Canadian Artillery. He spent nearly two years in Korea including 8 months of peacekeeping after the ceasefire.

Upon returning to Victoria, he started a career as a butcher for many years before working with the Sooke Forestry Department where he would retire from.

Fred was a proud veteran of the Korean War and twice served as the President of the Korean War Veterans Association of Canada, Victoria Branch. He was a member of the Legion for more than 70 years, many of those years in Langford before moving to Penticton in 2018.

He participated in many Remembrance Day ceremonies in Victoria as well as in Penticton for his final years. He was passionate about educating people about the war and honouring his late brother Bruce who was killed in Korea not long before Fred arrived. He campaigned for years to get recognition for his Korean War comrades and spoke out about how dismayed he was that many Canadians did not know about Canada's involvement in the Korean War.

Fred enjoyed travelling, fishing, and gardening, was a member of the orchid society and was an avid beekeeper for many years. He was a quick-witted, lively man, who loved to "tease" as he would say, and who made friends everywhere he went.

He will be greatly missed by his friends and family.

We extend our gratitude to the nurses at Penticton Regional Hospital, Sunnybank in Oliver, and Oliver Hospital as well as the staff with Home Instead for the exceptional care of Fred. A celebration of life will be held on June 2nd, 2024 at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 91 in Langford.

Additional Photo(s):   

Service Details

Celebration of Life
Sunday, June 2, 2024
12:00 PM
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 91 in Langford


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