Joseph Edward MacEachern

September 9, 1957 – November 28, 2024

Ed was born on a Monday in the late summer. From a very early age he was quite mischievous and as soon as mother wasn’t looking, he would take very long walks by himself, usually looking for a ball to play with or an even nicer place to play with one, like the church across the street while the Sunday service was taking place. He attended his early school years at Marion Bridge and Malcolm Munroe Junior High where he became a proud member of the chess club.

Ed and his brother Jack moved to Fort McMurray in the fall of 1997 after the sudden passing of his mom the month before at the early age of 45 and his dad passing 18 months before that at the young age of 53. They attended Keyano College there to finish upgrading their studies and lived on campus making new friends to whom they were known from then on as Joe and John.

Joe moved to Edmonton where he had his own apartment and worked at Cosmos Greek Restaurant for two years. Then he went to Best Western Hotel as a kitchen helper and was well known for being the happy go lucky guy who sat on a kitchen chair wearing the biggest earphones you ever saw, drinking Pepsi from a 40 oz slurpy cup while peeling spuds, carrots and onions by the pail full. He also gave music CD (50 era) to anyone he saw whether it was the manager of the hotel or the health care professionals he encountered at the hospital. When his eyesight began to fail, he was very sad to leave after 15 years of service. He was always one hour early for his evening shift and missed only four or five days in all that time.

In the last two years of his life, he was truly blessed to have Jody Greene of Fort Saskatchewan in his life, to manage his many medical appointments, consultations with physicians and taking him on his favorite trips to the dollar store. In his last hours at the University of Alberta Hospital she gently held his hand, caressed his brow and whispered softly in his ear soothing words while he passed from this world to the next.

Joe is survived by his big sisters Ann Greene of Fogo Island, NL, Mary McEachern of Edmonton, AB, little brother Kenneth McEachern of Faust, AB, aunt Trudy Duchemin, uncle Greg Delaney and uncle Arthur Delaney.

Joe was predeceased by his father John Allan in 1976, his mother Ila Mary (nee Delaney) in 1977, older brothers James “Bo” Allan in 1966, John “Jack” Dougal in 1980, as well as uncles: Lawrence Delaney, Harold Delaney and aunt Bev Veldhuis.

There will be no service at this time and his remains will be returned to Grand Mira, NS next summer.

If family and friends so desire, donations in Joe’s name may be made to the Diabetes Association of Canada.

Family Chain

Little we knew that morning,

God was going to call your name

In life we loved you dearly

In death we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you

You did not go alone

For part of us went with you

The day God called you home.

You left us beautiful memories