Jack MACREADY

Jack Macready April 24, 1918 - February 17, 2001 Mr Jack Macready, 82 years, of Thunder Bay passed away in Toronto on Feb 17/01 after a lengthly illness. Mr Macready, a lifelong resident of Fort William, had recently been a resident of Toronto for 2 years at The Wexford Home for the Aged and at the Veteran's Wing of Sunnybrook Medical Centre. Mr. Macready was born in Toronto where he attended public school. His summers often were spent in Bracebridge Ontario. He moved to Fort William where he attended The Vocational High School. He lived with His Aunt and Uncle, the late Mr. and Mrs. Ernest E Jessop of Hamilton Ave. In 1941 after the outbreak of the second world war, Mr. Macready joined the Royal Canadian Air Force attending No 6 Elementary Flight Training School in Prince Albert Sask . He subsequently graduated from the Air Observers School as an Air Navigator with a commission to rank of Pilot Officer at Portage La Prarie Manitoba Sept 1942. P/O Macready was posted overseas and served on operations as a Navigator with 6 Group (RCAF) of Bomber Command where he was stationed at Leeming (408 Sqdn) and Tholthorpe (434 Sqdn) in York. Shortly after his posting he was reported missing in action on Aug 27, 1943 near Nuremburg after his aircraft was shot down on a night mission. He managed to escape from his burning aircraft by parachute and landed in a tree injuring his back. He was subsequently captured and intered at Stalag Luft III "Sagan" in Poland where he remained for the rest of the war. He was eventually liberated by the Russians as they advanced westward to Berlin in the spring of 1945. He was promoted to rank of Flight Leutenant upon repatriation with his unit in England in 1945. After returning to Canada he was married to Zena M Rendall, daughter of the late Mr and Mrs William Rendall of Fort William and with whom he had 3 children, John, James and Barbara. Mr. Macready subsequently completed his senior matriculation at Fort William Collegiate and then attended the Ontario College of Pharmacy from which he graduated with his Bachelor of Pharmacy in 1949. After graduation he worked with his uncle, Mr E Jessop and eventually took over ownership and operation of Jessops Pharmacy at Simpson and Ogden St. in Fort William. He was an active member of the Thunder Bay Pharmaceutical Association for many years and served his community honorably as a health care professional and businessman and in many other capacities. He was a member of Wesley United Church. Although he worked long hours in his pharmacy Mr Macready loved to spend time with his wife and family at his cottage at Chippewa where he enjoyed fishing and boating and woodworking. Although it never came to fruition his dream was to retire at Chippewa park and enjoy the beauty of Lake Superior. He was predeceased by his wife Zena In 1978. He is survived by 3 children, John (Pam) in Vancouver. James (Lois) in Thunder Bay and Barbara Kansun(Morris) of Toronto. He is also survived by Angela Macready. He has five grandchildren Laura J Macready, Ottawa, Colin A Macready, Toronto, Jeffrey, Robbie and Alexandra Kansun of Toronto. He was sincerely loved by his family and friends and he will be sorely missed by all those who knew him for his great sense of humour and zest for life. A celebration of Mr. Macreadys life will be held at the Jenkens Funeral Home, 226 S. Syndicate Avenue, in Thunder Bay South at 11:00 a.m. on Friday February 23, 2001. The family will receive friends at Jenkens Funeral Home on Thursday evening, February 22, 2001 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. A private family interment will take place at Mountain View Cemetery on Saturday. Neither flowers nor donations are requested.