MacIsaac, William Mathias, age 69, of Ohio, Antigonish County died suddenly on October 1, 2023, next to his tractor and surrounded by the cows on the family farm where he was born and where he worked all his life.
He was the son the late Daniel and Bernadette (Pettipas) MacIsaac.
Willie was a hardworking family man. He worked from dawn to dusk both on the farm and in the woods his whole life. No matter how hard the work was or how long the hours were he never complained. No matter how busy he was, he always had time to help others and would have given you the shirt off his back if needed. He never wanted anything in return, well except maybe an ice cold beer.
A humble man, strong in strength and character with a kind and gentle heart. He was always there for his family and he spent lots of time with his grandchildren whom he loved dearly. He took them on tractor drives, taught them about farming and showed them how to feed the cows apples right out of their hands. One of the whole family’s favorites were the Sunday drives through the Keppoch on the back of the truck where he always went extra fast through the puddles to try and splash everyone.
Willie willingly contributed his time to the community in many parish functions and was a member of the Antigonish County Volunteer Fire Department for thirty years. He never missed a fireman’s meeting and no matter what time of day his pager went off he went to every fire he could and always helped in any way he could. He also attended the fireman’s functions, was always a good sport and even made his way on stage at one of the events, many laughs were had.
Willie drove a school bus full time and worked on buses at the school bus garage from 1983 to 2022. Even after his "retirement" his love for driving buses never stopped and he drove right up until the day he died. He would drive in any type of weather and never once did he put the bus off the road. The kids were always well behaved on Willie’s bus, anytime anyone stood up while he was driving an animal would run out in front of the bus and Willie would have to hit the brakes. Funny how that always seemed to happen at the same time. It worked though, that person never stood up on the bus again.
Willie was a patient man when it came to fixing things, he always seemed to be able to figure it out. He could fix any piece of farming equipment and if anything was wrong with your car or anything in the house he always knew what it was and knew how to fix it. He always wanted to pass his knowledge along to his kids and he helped them with everything from their math homework to how to drive, change tires, make hay, work hard, play cards, and a lot about life.
Willie was very competitive and loved sports. He played hockey and ball for many years and was a great role model for his children. He coached his son and youngest daughter for many years. He never liked to lose a game but he always played everyone fairly. He also umpired a lot of ball games, and even though there were a few close calls he always called it as he saw it and did the best he could.
Willie loved to play cards. He played auction and old maid with his family and grandchildren on Sundays and when his uncles and brothers were down he would head to the cottage for some crib. You had to watch him carefully though when the game wasn’t going his way, he’d do what he could to win. He’d make signs to his partner in auction to pick the right suit, he’d try to look at your cards in old maid and he’d take a few extra pegs when no one was watching during crib. We have so many fond memories of Willie/Dad/Grampy and he has touched the lives of everyone he has met. He will be greatly missed.
He is survived by his best friend and wife of 45 years. Diane (Shupe); children: Barbie, Lower South River; Matthew (Hollie), Ohio; Amanda (Will), Antigonish; grandchildren: Reegan, Ben, Brandon, Ethan, Logan, Emily and Catie Anne; brothers: Dan (Anne), Halifax; John (Ann Marie), Halifax; Gerard (Rhoda), Ohio; sisters: Anita (Allan) MacKay, Sydney; Mary (Brian) Cooke, Salmon River; Dianne (Donnie) Cooke, Goshen, Marilyn (Joe) Reck, Ont. and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be in C.L. Curry Funeral Home, 135 College Street, Antigonish on Monday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 pm. Funeral Mass will be in St. Joseph’s Church, St. Joseph’s on Tuesday at 11:00 am with Reverend Tom Stephan presiding. Burial in the parish cemetery.
Online condolences: www.clcurry.com.