Mr. Richard “Dick” MacRae

It is with great sadness that the MacRae family announces the passing of their patriarch, Richard Kenneth MacRae, age 91, on November 26, 2017. Richard, or Dick as he was known to family and friends, passed away peacefully at home with his loving wife of 59 years, Zetta, and his family at his side.

Dick MacRae was born at his Grandfather Austin’s home in Margaree, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia on May 12, 1926. Soon after, the MacRae family moved to Alberta where Dick’s Father (Donald) found work in the lumber camps. A farm was purchased outside Entwistle, Alberta where the family lived and seven children were raised. Dick went to high school locally in Entwistle and Evansburg where he played sports and excelled, along with his brother Sandy, at baseball. As a young man he worked in lumber camps and helped run the family farm till the breakout of World War II when he enlisted in the army. After the war, Dick returned to the family farm and worked in the oil fields. He met the love of his life, a local school teacher, Zetta Brown, whom he married and together they bought two quarters of land beside the original MacRae farm. Dick and Zetta raised three children, farmed the land, taught everyone how to dance, and remained on the farm until 2014 when they moved to Courtenay on Vancouver Island to be nearer to two of their children, Laura and Ken and Ken’s young family.

Dick loved his farm, especially the raising and nurturing of all the animals and was particularly fond of horses and his beloved German Shepherd, Duke. He loved tilling the fields and watching the crops grow and thought there was nothing more beautiful than watching ripening grain blow in the wind. Dick was proud of his community and was past President of the Entwistle Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Entwistle Elks. It was his family, however, that Dick adored the most and they adored him back. His children, Laura, Don and Ken were his pride and joy and he was a loving and kind father. Dick loved all children and took great joy in his grandchildren, great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren!
Dick was predeceased by his mother and father, Dan and Ella MacRae, his brother Alexander (Sandy) MacRae, his sister Lexena Cofield and brother Don MacRae. He is survived by his wife, Zetta MacRae, daughter Laura MacRae and Douglas McIntosh, sons Don and June MacRae and Ken and Paula MacRae, as well as by his brother Ken MacRae and sisters Jean Palmer and Annabelle Benjamin.

Dick will be deeply mourned by his grandchildren and their spouses, Dan and Mandy Willcock, James MacRae, Shane and Vanessa MacRae and all of his many great and great-great grandchildren as well as his family in Cape Breton and Idaho.

Funeral services will be held December 02, 2017 at 2:00 p.m., Entwistle Community Hall, Entwistle, Alberta. Interment at Brightwood Cemetery.

Tea to follow funeral.

Memorial donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Entwistle Santa’s Anonymous, Box 894, Evansburg, AB, T0E 0T0 C/O Phil Hosker, 780 515 0468