Obituary of David Allan MacInnis

Please click on this link to view funeral mass recording.  

Surrounded by love and laughter, David Allan MacInnis died peacefully on May 12, 2024, after a brief and gruelling illness.

David was born in Antigonish, N.S., on October 26, 1955, the eldest son of Malcolm and Marie MacInnis.

A big brother to nine, he wore the mantle like a medal, a caped crusader swooping in to bail out this one or that one — always with love and never a hint of judgment. Though families rarely see eye to eye on everything, we all knew that David was the best of us.

Eager to make his mark, he headed west after high school to forge a lifelong career in the oil industry, a path that brought him and his family to many exotic outposts around the world. David rose through the ranks to become a respected leader who steered the company through turbulent times. Through it all, he made lasting friendships, connecting with people everywhere he went.

Some thought the fast-car-loving, party boy would never settle down, but fate knew he was just waiting for “the one.” In Mary, he found his North Star, a bubbly breath of fresh air from Ohio who captured his heart with her radiant smile, generous spirit and culinary magic, especially her signature Mary Queen cakes!

They travelled the world together, writing a story that would unfold over several decades and end back where it started. When faced with unchangeable winds, David and Mary gracefully adjusted their sails and charted the course.

Being a dad was the purest joy of David’s life; he beamed with pride sharing stories about Sophie’s athletic accolades and her nursing career and Rory’s adventures in the great outdoors as well as his success in his profession of power engineering. He took so much joy in seeing the incredible people they had grown into — kind, warm, funny and wise, the best of him.

Though David worked abroad all his life, he maintained unbreakable bonds with many friends from his high school days. Almost without fail, he was home every year for Highland Games’ Kilted to hit the links and hoist a pint with mates.

David was the friend everyone wanted in their corner; he had an uncanny way of making you feel like the only person on earth when you had his attention. His sense of humour intact to the end, David always appreciated a good joke, or even a bad joke. He loved to laugh.

This beautiful man was a blueprint for compassion and generosity: He cared for others when they needed it most, never waiting to be asked. His loyalty ran deep, marked by a stoic sense of duty.

An obsessive sports fanatic like his brothers, David was thought to be the youngest softball player to join The Ranch, where he played countless games and made lifelong friends. The Jr. B. Bulldogs hockey team also took a shot with his athletic gifts, but in the end, #10 spent more time in the penalty box than on the ice.

David did not get all the days he deserved, but he surely made them count. And the lessons he left us are the secrets to a happy life: Lend a hand where you can, life’s too short for grudges and a little time at the ocean goes a long way. We are better people for loving him and being loved by him.

David is survived by his wife Mary, daughter Sophie, son Rory, brothers Mark (Teresa Gillis), Paul (Liz Bland), Patrick (Angie Richardson), Brian, Adam, sisters Margaret and Patricia (Steven Bass), brothers-in-law Lawrence, Jim, John (Beverly), Donald (Anne Marie), sisters-in-law Judy (Walter Cameron), Michelle, and Bonita (John Maclean) and so many treasured friends, cousins, nieces and nephews. 

He was predeceased by his mother Marie “Andy,” mother-in-law Gertie, brother Andrew, brothers-in-law Michael and Gabriel, sisters-in-law Joan and Gwen, father Malcolm, niece Molly, Grandma Esther, Grampy Andy and several beloved uncles. 

Visitation will be held from 2-4 and 7-9 pm on Thursday, May 16th in MacIsaac Funeral Home, Antigonish. Funeral mass to celebrate David’s life will be held at 11 am on Friday May 17, 2024 in St. Joseph’s Church, St. Joseph's, Rev. Tom Stephan presiding. Burial in the parish cemetery.

The family would like to thank the exceptional palliative care nurses of St. Martha’s Regional Hospital as well as Dr. Jane Anne Howard and Dr. Lisa Gillis for their compassionate care.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Palliative Care Unit at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital. 

Go on up to the spirit in the sky, David. 
There’s a seat at the Andy cribbage table with your name on it.