Obituary of Peter Ian MacDonald

It is with great sadness that the family of Peter Ian MacDonald share news of his passing on August 17th at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton. Born on January 21, 1946 in Moncton, Peter was the son of the late William MacDonald and Edna Steeves MacDonald.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Rowena Brooks and by their sons, Adam and Iain (Zahra) and by his sisters, Wendy O’Blenes (Peter) and Janet Hudson. He is also survived by nieces Jennifer Sinyard (Brian), Sarah O’Blenes (Nathalie) and Abbie Hudson (David) and by nephews Rob O’Blenes (Lise-Anne) and Michael O’Blenes (Tanya).

Peter earned degrees from the University of New Brunswick (BA and BEd) and the University of Toronto (MA and PhD). Peter made many professional contributions during his long career as a professor at St. Thomas University from 1975 to 2012. Of his contributions to research, what stands out is his study of the industrialization of tree harvesting. Though forestry is one of Canada’s famous industries, until Peter and his research partners took on the work in the early 1990s, very little was known outside the industry itself on how work in the woods had changed from men with axes, saws and horses cutting down and processing trees into pulpwood and logs in the 1950s, to men running completely mechanized harvesting systems by the 1990s. As a result of Peter’s work of over two decades one reviewer noted
that the process of change in woods work was now better understood than even the development of the Canadian auto industry, one of the most studied in the country.

Peter was a life long music lover with tastes ranging from Gregorian chants to classical to rock, jazz and blues. He was an avid motorcyclist. He enjoyed spending time with his sons. This involved frequent motorcycle trips with Adam and supporting Iain in his sports endeavours.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, August 21 st at Christ Church Cathedral followed by a reception immediately after. For those who wish, memorial donations to St. Thomas University or to a charity of the donor’s choice would be appreciated.