Lloyd George “John” MacArthur, born January 13, 1916, in O’Leary, PEI, died quietly in Halifax, NS, on September 12, 2013, at the age of 97. Lovingly known to friends and family as John, he was the youngest child of Eliza (nee Whalen) & Nathaniel MacArthur. He is predeceased by his parents, five sisters and five brothers, daughter, Donna MacArthur, and grandson, Richard Tannous. John now has been reunited with Norris (nee Cormier), his wife of more than 72 years, who died on August 28, 2013.
John is survived by daughter Ruth (Jerry) Tannous, son Douglas (Catherine Schulz) MacArthur, daughter Deborah (Bruce) Rogerson; six grandchildren, Victor (Christine Hanson) Tannous, Sarah (Andrew Lewis) Rogerson, Thomas Rogerson, Brendan MacArthur, Ian MacArthur, and Rowan MacArthur; four great-grandchildren, Kaitlin Rogerson, Madeline Tannous, Sophia Tannous and Joseph Lewis, and a host of nephews, nieces, kin and kind.
The MacArthur family relocated from O’Leary to Amherst, NS, when John was just a little nipper.
John was a member of the legendary 1936 Citizen Amherst Canucks hockey team that, in pursuit of the coveted Memorial Cup, captured the Maritime Junior Championship. He also was Maritime boxing champion in the light featherweight division.
In 1941, John married his teenage sweetheart, Norris, whom he met while working as an Amherst rink rat, warming her heart with her favourite candy and his affection.
He was an Army reserve gunner before signing on with the Navy to see the world. “Johnny Frig,” as he was known to his Navy mates, was among those who participated in Battle of the Atlantic convoys. In the early hours of September 19, 1941, his ship, the Corvette HMCS Levis, was torpedoed off Greenland. It was the first Canadian warship to be sunk by a German U-Boat attack.
John continued active service throughout World War II and the Korean War, ultimately achieving the rank of Chief Petty Officer, First Class, and completing his tours of duty in 1965. From there, he went to work at Camp Hill Veterans’ Hospital until retiring in the mid-1970s. In August 2013, he returned to Camp Hill as a resident, and then, for the first time in 72 years, lived under a roof other than that of his beloved bride.
During the royal tour of 1959, John cooked for Queen Elizabeth II and her entourage and, as the story goes, performed barber duties, cutting the hair of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. In 2010, he and Norris were invited guests queued up quayside as the royal couple once again visited Halifax.
Known to be a scrapper with a tender heart and a modest pride, John worked with determined passion to provide opportunity and a comfortable life for his family. He saved for and bought in 1950 a Queensland cottage and then purchased a lot and built a home on Piers Avenue in the Fairmont subdivision of Halifax where he, Norris and their children moved from College St. in 1960.
His love and affection for his children, their spouses and his descendants will be well remembered.
John most certainly promised himself and his lovely wife that he would watch over and protect her for all of his days. His last act of kindness was to fight gallantly to stay the course and open the door for Norris to lead the way into the happy ever-after.
We salute his long life well-lived.
Visitation will be held in Cruikshank’s Halifax Funeral Home from 6 – 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 19. Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 10:00 a.m. Friday, September 20 in St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica. Burial will be in Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the IWK Health Centre Foundation, 5855 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, or on-line at www. iwkfoundation.org,, or to a charity of your choice.
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