Obituary of Margaret MacLeod

MACLEOD, Margaret - Aged 97, passed away on December 7, 2017, in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. Margaret was born on January 21, 1920, in Hespeler, Ontario (now Cambridge) to Annie Johnston (nee Kleinsteuber) and William Johnston. Serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force, she was stationed at Service Flight Training School, Hagersville during the Second World War. Margaret married the late Reverend Merrill J. MacLeod, an ordained minister of the United Church of Canada, on July 20, 1949. Margaret served dutifully and actively in the United Church of Canada, joining her husband in the work of the church for almost thirty years, as they took numerous charges in New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario through the 1950's and 1960's. Margaret, Merrill and their three daughters, spent many happy years at Trinity United Church in Guelph, Ontario and in 1968 the family moved to Prince Edward Island, where Merrill was pleased to take charge at Trinity United Church in Summerside. Margaret remained in Summerside for many years after Merrill's passing, joining her daughter, Anne MacLeod Brydon, in Springfield, Nova Scotia, in later years, as her health declined. A woman of deep faith, Margaret was a model of strength and resilience throughout her life and in bereavement following the loss of her husband. A woman of high intellect, Margaret inspired in her three daughters a great love of reading, learning, and clear thinking, leading her family in lively dinnertime debates about current affairs throughout their upbringing. In her youth, Margaret was an accomplished athlete, excelling at both tennis and speed skating. She enjoyed a lifelong love of cats, and a passion for the NHL, major league baseball, and professional sports, generally. Committed to duties of citizenship, she remained keenly interested in current affairs and politics until her twilight years, through which she was supported wisely, tenderly, and tirelessly by her daughter, Anne Brydon, and her son in law, Keith Brydon. Margaret is predeceased by her beloved husband, the Reverend Merrill J. MacLeod; her parents and her brother, Frank Johnston. Her passing is deeply mourned by her three daughters, Mona MacLeod Boulet, Anne MacLeod Brydon and Mary MacLeod and by her sons-in-law, Albert Boulet and Keith Brydon. A time of remembrance will be planned for the summer of 2018 in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Formal announcements will follow. Sincere gratitude is extended to the caring staff of Ridgewood Assisted Living, and Ryan Hall, in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. No flowers please, donations may be made to the Missions & Service Fund of the United Church of Canada.