In memory of
Roderick Nelson "Nels" MacDonald
September 1, 1932 - January 1, 2026
A good man, a devoted husband, and a great dad, Nels died on 1 January 2026, aged 93 years.
Predeceased by Magdalena, his wife of 65 years; by his brother, Donald, and his parents Murdock John and Georgina (MacLeod) MacDonald.
Survived by his three children: Rod, Ingrid (Rita) and Peter (Barbra); by his grandson, Rhodes; and by his sister, Helen.
Born in New Waterford, Nova Scotia, Nels lived in Cape Breton until age 17, when he went to Boston to study civil engineering at MIT. After graduating in 1953, Nels moved to Toronto where he met and married Magdalena Felber. They settled in Scarborough and there they raised their three children, Rod, Ingrid and Peter, along with a menagerie of many cats.
Nels had a long career as a civil engineer with Stone & Webster Canada, working on projects such as the McLaughlin Planetarium, the conversion of the Hearn Generating Station and the construction of the Confederation Bridge.
The family wants to thank the staff of Avondale and the nurses of the Palliative Care Unit of Michael Garron Hospital for their excellent care, and we give special thanks to his personal care giver, Henrietta Akenobo, for her devotion to Dad.
Funeral arrangements are as follows: Memorial service to be held at 11 am on Friday, 9th January, 2026, at Pine Hills Cemetery and Funeral Centre, 625 Birchmount Rd, Scarborough, Ontario, M1K 1R1. The service will be followed by a light lunch and then internment will take place at the grave at 12:30 pm.
In lieu of flowers, please consider helping a cat. Donations may be made to the Toronto Humane Society (https://torontohumanesociety.donorsupport.co/page/InMemory) or Toronto Cat Rescue (https://www.torontocatrescue.ca/donate).
Predeceased by Magdalena, his wife of 65 years; by his brother, Donald, and his parents Murdock John and Georgina (MacLeod) MacDonald.
Survived by his three children: Rod, Ingrid (Rita) and Peter (Barbra); by his grandson, Rhodes; and by his sister, Helen.
Born in New Waterford, Nova Scotia, Nels lived in Cape Breton until age 17, when he went to Boston to study civil engineering at MIT. After graduating in 1953, Nels moved to Toronto where he met and married Magdalena Felber. They settled in Scarborough and there they raised their three children, Rod, Ingrid and Peter, along with a menagerie of many cats.
Nels had a long career as a civil engineer with Stone & Webster Canada, working on projects such as the McLaughlin Planetarium, the conversion of the Hearn Generating Station and the construction of the Confederation Bridge.
The family wants to thank the staff of Avondale and the nurses of the Palliative Care Unit of Michael Garron Hospital for their excellent care, and we give special thanks to his personal care giver, Henrietta Akenobo, for her devotion to Dad.
Funeral arrangements are as follows: Memorial service to be held at 11 am on Friday, 9th January, 2026, at Pine Hills Cemetery and Funeral Centre, 625 Birchmount Rd, Scarborough, Ontario, M1K 1R1. The service will be followed by a light lunch and then internment will take place at the grave at 12:30 pm.
In lieu of flowers, please consider helping a cat. Donations may be made to the Toronto Humane Society (https://torontohumanesociety.donorsupport.co/page/InMemory) or Toronto Cat Rescue (https://www.torontocatrescue.ca/donate).