John Wilfred MacNeil, 89, formerly of Medway, MA passed away peacefully on November 21st with his family by his side after a short battle with cancer. Born and raised in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, son of the late Michael and Mary (MacLean) MacNeil, John was the oldest of 11 children. He arrived in Boston with $5 in his pocket in 1961 looking for new opportunities and eventually settled in Medway over 50 years ago. He was the devoted husband of Claudette (Guyomard) MacNeil for over 63 years.
John is survived by his children, Michael of West Virginia, Daniel (Milton Nolan) of Fort Valley, GA, and Leanne (Ed Moore) of Scituate, MA. He is predeceased by his oldest son, John Robert, who passed away in 2019.
He was cherished by his 10 grandchildren, Jarrod, Amber, Emily, Tessa, Vicki, Claudette, John, Nathan, Natalie, and Lilly and 3 great grandchildren.
John is survived by his siblings James of Brockton, MA, Bernadette Doe of Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia and AnnMarie Pickard, of Edinburgh, Scotland and 36 nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by brothers Jackie, Francis, Pius, Gregory and sisters Claire, Michaeleen, and Theresa.
John was a wonderful father and Papa. In his spare time, he enjoyed playing cards, listening to Cape Breton Fiddle music, going to concerts in Cape Breton, woodworking, traveling with his wife, wintering in Florida, and telling many stories about his long career as a truck driver.
His funeral mass will be celebrated with friends and family at St. Joseph Church, 151 Village St. in Medway on Thursday December 2nd at 10:30 a.m. Burial immediately following at St. Joseph Cemetery.
John's family request that everyone in attendance kindly wear a mask.
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in John's memory to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123.