Roland John (Rolly) MacKinnon

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Roland John ‘Rolly’ MacKinnon of Ingonish Ferry, who died peacefully at home on the morning of August 22, 2025.

Rolly was born in Ingonish Ferry on August 20, 1929 to Donald John and Mary Jane MacKinnon. He was the heart of the MacKinnon family in Ingonish, and the home that he built and shared with his beloved Mary Patricia ‘Patsy’ MacKinnon (1935-2024), his wife for 67 years, was always open to family and friends visiting from near and far. Even into his early nineties, Rolly was known to treat visitors to the house to a lobster boil, or to his famous pancakes and bacon for breakfast.

Rolly was a man of many talents, and performed a wide array of jobs over his long working life. He built and operated the Knotty Pine cottages with his wife Patsy, worked on Great Lakes freighters, was a landscape contractor, operated a snowplow, worked on a survey crew during the development of the Wreck Cove Hydro project, and fished during his younger years. In his spare time, Rolly's love of the land was evident. He spent much time fishing, hunting, and gardening, and shared his love of these activities with his children and other family members. He worked with his beloved tractors and plows into his eighties, and he would sometimes delight his grandchildren by giving them a ride in the bucket of his front-end loader.

Special mention must be made of Rolly's love of and talent for storytelling, and in ninety-six years of life, he accumulated many stories to tell! Among some of his most famous tales were the stories of his encounters with Paul Martin Sr. and Mordecai Richler while working on the Great Lakes, stories of his swordfishing successes of the 1940s, and many stories beginning with the phrase “when I was born, there was no road in Ingonish.” We believe these stories to be mostly true, and they were certainly always entertaining. Rolly also loved to sing and recite poetry from memory, and he continued sharing stories, songs, and poems until his final days.

In addition to his parents and his wife Patsy, Rolly was predeceased by siblings Anne, Angus, Earle, Edna, and Alice, and son-in-law Phil Roach. He is survived by brother Clifford (Michelle); children Perry (Marilyn MacDonald), Howard (Kathy Graham-MacKinnon), and Patti; grandchildren Rhianna (Travis Halliday), Ally (Dan Shanahan), Jessalyn, Ali Graham-MacKinnon, Dylan MacDonald (Samantha), Carly (Ryan Cowley), Brooke MacDonald (Robert Barrett), Mattea, Eamon, Cynthia, and Lachlan; and great-grandchildren Logan, Emmy, Lucy, and Hayes. Also mourning the loss of Rolly are many nieces, nephews, and extended family members to whom he was dearly beloved.

Arrangements have been entrusted to J.M. Jobes Funeral Home, 635 Main Street, Sydney Mines. A memorial service will be held in honour of both Rolly and Patsy at Saint Peter's Church in Ingonish Beach on Saturday, September 6 at 10am. The family would like to thank the many home care workers, paramedics, Buchanan Memorial staff, and palliative care workers who cared for Rolly over the years.

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