Obituary of W. Donald Macaulay

On January 22, 2022, at the age of 90, Don passed away peacefully at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton, after a brief illness related to his pre-existing pulmonary fibrosis. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Barbara (MacLean), three sons David (Lori) of Lincoln, Nebraska, Alec (Anne) of Winnipeg, and Bruce (Tara) of Halifax, six grandchildren (Maura, Helen, Patrick, Jackson, Finlay and Riley), as well as several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Margot Bishop (John) of Kingsport, NS. Don was born in Saint John, NB, the son of the late William and Louise (Sweet) Macaulay. He attended Saint John High School prior to attending University of New Brunswick, and then completing his studies at the McGill University medical school, where he made many lifelong friends. As an Internal Medicine resident in Montreal, he met his wife Barbara, who was working as a nurse at the Montreal General Hospital. After their marriage they settled in Fredericton, NB, where he was a hardworking and well-respected Cardiology consultant for many years. He was an integral part of the development of the Coronary Care Unit and Echocardiography program in Fredericton. He loved his work, especially teaching students and chatting with his colleagues in the doctors’ lounge, and so delayed complete retirement until the age of nearly 80. His numerous activities included downhill skiing, skating, photography and banjo playing, but his lifelong passion was aviation; he was a licensed pilot and flew his plane regularly until near the end of his life. He especially enjoyed attending "fly-ins" held around the province. The family would like to thank Dr. Colpitts, Dr. Goodyear, Nurse Laurinda, and the student nurses on the Palliative Care Unit, and the rest of the health care team who treated Don so well at the end of his life. At Don’s request, no funeral service will be held. Cremation has taken place under the care of McAdam’s Funeral Home. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Chalmers Foundation’s Palliative Care designated fund at chalmersfoundation.com.