Tribute Wall
In Memory of
George Thomas MacKenzie
1948 - 2024
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Terry Fogarty posted a condolence
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
I only heard of George’s passing this weekend at the AGM at Brightwood.I was very sad when I heard the news.
George and I played many early morning rounds at Brightwood back in the 70’s. He was a very good player and we had lots of laughs during our rounds.He had that long smooth backswing with a little hinge at the top.I was always a little envious of that swing.
He was a great athlete and better person.
Condolences to the family,George will definitely be missed.
Terry Fogarty
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Ed Shutt posted a condolence
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
I was so sad and surprised to hear about George's passing. We were good friends in university and I always saw George as larger than life, somewhat invincible. We would bump into one another occasionally throughout the years, but I regret that we did not keep in closer touch through those years.
Ed Shutt
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Isaac MacEachen posted a condolence
Monday, November 25, 2024
My condolences to all the MacKenzie family. I taught elementary school with George many moons ago at the little C.A. Beckett school in Armdale. George was such a dedicated gym teacher, always trying to do the best for every child, not just the super athletes. He was a great team player, always willing to help others on staff, and an innovator when it came to teaching methods.
We had many chuckles together. Many people will miss George. God bless you all.
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Mike Hornby posted a condolence
Monday, November 25, 2024
Barbara and family: Please accept our sincere condolences on the death of George. He was a fine person and an outstanding athlete. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Lyndell and Mike Hornby
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Ray Adlington posted a condolence
Monday, November 25, 2024
A friend in Junior and senior high school.Spent some time in the principals office together.
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Jamie Oyler posted a condolence
Monday, November 25, 2024
Q: How did you meet George?
A: George was my junior high gym teacher and volleyball coach at Major Stevens. I credit George for encouraging me to try out for the school teams and eventually lead to a life long interest in “playing the game”
Jamie Oyler
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Pat Holmes posted a condolence
Monday, November 25, 2024
My condolences Barb to you and your family. I went to school with George and others who have commented in these posts. He was a great guy even as a young man, and I have many fond memories of those days.
It is obvious he was loved by many. RIP George.
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Joe Lauder posted a condolence
Sunday, November 24, 2024
Barb, So sad to hear of George's passing. It was easy to tell from our meetings how much you meant to him and what a great personality he had. The condolences I have read from family and friends confirm this. Passing on my deepest condolences to you and your family.
Joe Lauder
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Liz Corkery posted a condolence
Sunday, November 24, 2024
So very sorry to hear of George’s passing. I went to school with George and can remember him coming to my house on Murray Hill Drive on Friday afternoons to watch Frank’s Bandstand. My thoughts are with you Barb and your family at this very tough time.
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Roy Shipley posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Condolences to all George's family and friends. George was my Gym teacher from 1977-79 at Major Stevens Junior High. He was well liked by all his students and we enjoyed his sense of humour. I was never very good at or really interested in playing sports and I think he realized that and never pushed me too hard, which I appreciated. I've thought of him often over the years and always wondered how he was doing. Rest in Peace George.
Roy Shipley
Halifax
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Charlie Baldwin posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Condolences to the MacKenzie family.George and I were playing golf in a tournament at Brightwood on the 6th hole.GEORGE hit his 2nd shot straight at the hole from 80 yards. I hit my 2nd shot 10 feet left of the hole and I said "LISTEN FOR THE SOUND OF METAL". I scored an eagle 2 and GEORGE scored a BIRDIE 3. He was a GREAT GUY.
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Allan MacDonald posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Donna ...I am so sorry to hear your brother passed away and that your family have lost not just a brother, but an uncle and granduncle.
Barb and sons ...I am deeply sorry four your loss of a proud husband, father, and grandfather.
I have found memories of great Christmas meals prepared by
Mrs. MacKenzie (Mae). Of special note was seeing big athletic George wearing the paper hat from inside the Christmas cracker.
My greatest memory of George was the day he took me for my first and only drive in an MG ...my dream car for many years. RIP George!
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Tom McCutcheon posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
That was very sad news to hear for me as well as countless other former students of Mr MacKenzie. There is definitely some regret as well because I was hoping to make contact with him to see if he would ever want to get together with a bunch of former students to touch base and so we could let him know what a difference he made with all of us. I had it narrowed down to three George MacKenzie's in the Truro area.
I thought it might be nice to share some thoughts from myself and friends on a text exchange we had upon hearing of Mr McKenzie’s passing. Keep in mind that this is a group of around 13 men in their mid to late 50s, so it was more than 40 years ago that he taught us and much of these thoughts are fresh in our minds and have happily been replayed in conversations for decades. You would have been surprised about how many conversations have happened about his teaching by so many people. I hope he knew this or at least felt it. All went on to play high school sports. Most played university varsity sports. Many ended up being teachers and almost all have coached as well. He was such a huge influence for us in those formative years.
Upon hearing of his passing:
“Super sad. A true legend”
- “Yes still tell stories about his classes.”
“My first life coach. Great guy.”
“This is very sad. He had such an influence on our young minds. I still use some of his one liners in my classes. RIP Mr. MacKenzie.”
“Well put. He was that.”
“Legitimately sad right now.”
“Big influence on many including myself, as I text this riding my exercise bike.”
“I meant to ask one of you guys if anyone had seen him in a while. Damn he was amazing.”
“Sad news. He was a legend.”
“Sad news for sure.”
School recollections (get ready for some of these):
“I still recall him making us sit in squads.”
“There is not a teacher on this chat group who didn’t steal his material.”
“I remember ‘Gentlemen, being an athlete takes sacrifice, discipline, focus. It's not driving around in a convertible, combing your hair in the mirror with a box of trophies in the back seat!’”
“When he would see Mr. Towner and Mr. Reid - “Hey look it’s Butch and Dusty the gold dust twins!””
“The joke I remember was when a guy took a shot below the belt. He'd say he's a landowner… he's got two acres.”
“When somebody would fart and he would say “Speak again o toothless wonder.” Or if he was in a bit of a crabby mood he would say something like “Ricky go to the bathroom and talk to the toilet.””
“I would love it when he would put the blame on somebody and say something like “I don't want to say any names but his initials are Rob Adams.”
- “Yup. I’ve used that a million times in school.
““There is McCutcheon sitting there with an S on his forehead. Yeah, quite the Superstar…staying up late at night watching topless women in French movies while Dave Hill is in bed after a long night of homework and studying.” - He lived in real time. Life lessons.”
“Fairweather athletes.”
“The jingling of the keys in his pocket or the finger snap and fist to the palm when was about to lay into someone.”
One class he did this snap, snap, pop thing with his hands... never spoke a word... just stared up and down the squad rows on the floor. He did it for about 20 minutes.
“His whistle.”
“It is sad but I sit here marking papers and reading your texts and I cannot help but smile and remember him and his influence.”
- “Funny I do the snap snap slap thing on hall duty.”
“I will have a brick tied to a string hanging out my bedroom window tonight in remembrance.” (In health class he used to address concerns over penis length and said that you can tie a brick to it and hang it out of your window while you sleep. And then he said of course that is ridiculous and that for its biological purpose length does not matter. “But I wonder if I drive around the neighbourhood tonight how many bricks I will see?”)
“He was able to take those awkward health subjects and make it OK to discuss. He started one class by walking the length of the board and drawing a long object and then he said, “This is the average size of a human penis. <Jaws dropped.> If you take mine into account.” The whole class burst out laughing. At that point, the Principal walked by and heard the laughter and knocked on the door to see what was so funny. He then saw the drawing on the board and asked what that was. Without missing a beat Mr. MacKenzie said “That’s a tank.” Mr. Perry looked at the class and everyone just nodded in agreement. Mr. Perry left with a confused look on his face and we all cracked up when the door closed. To this day that whole room knows what the “Penis Tank” is.”
“When he would do sperm and the egg diagrams and draw a smiley face on the sperm and name him Hermey Spermey.”
“Standing around in class with both hands inside the top of his pants/shorts keeping warm.”
“I can’t wave a magic wand and make you an athlete.”
- “The magic wand…classic.
- Pronounced “ath-a-lete.”
“Stock in Halls Cough Drops and Bauer sneakers plummeted overnight.”
"Hustle...pronouncing the T."
“Touch four walls and go to your squads.”
“Bunch of sleaze bag reprobates.”
“Gary, you can remember every word to a 7 minute song yet you can't remember to bring your shorts to Phys Ed class.” (Rapper’s Delight)
“He was very good with my sister at a difficult point in her young life. He was very aware and attentive to her situation, and I will never forget that he even went to Ms.Chambers and said that she needed to deal with the situation or he would. He was a very good guy. Empathetic as I think it says in his obituary.” (Note: classes were separated into male/female, so he would not have taught the girls.)
“To the principal - “Carl I would say that is an amazing tie you have on today.””
- “He rode Carl.”
“I marvel at all of the sports he taught us to play and the fun of intramurals at lunch time and him coaching the volleyball team and track. Really loved those years.”
- “He was pretty awesome.”
“I tripped and hit my head on the brick wall in gym and I remember laying on the floor with Mr. MacKenzie over me. I told him I needed to get up and get to my squad or we will lose points, and he held up a fist and said “If you get up I will give you another black eye!”
“One time in Mr Fougere’s class he was down chatting and Dean Squires was mouthing off and trash talking Mr Mackenzie and Mr McKenzie looked at Mr Fougere and asked if the coast was clear. He looked down the hallway and gave a nod, and Mr Mackenzie laid out Dean with a full shoulder in the belly football tackle. Desks went everywhere. I might have been the only other person in the class at that time. We were all laughing so much at that.”
“If you handed in an assignment with the corner ripped off from a staple, he would draw an arrow to it and write “Shark?””
“I got an assignment back covered with drawings of flowers on it. When I asked why there were flowers on my paper, he said it was because it was full of fertilizer.”
He held us accountable, made it fun, and cared for us. We dearly thank him for that and for his wife and children to have shared him with us.
And the one great scorer will see how he played the game.
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Glenda Bennett posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Barb
I am sorry to hear of the passing of George.
My sincere condolences to you and your boys and all the family.
Barb I am so sorry that you will not have George by your side as you continue life's journey.
Praying for comfort and strength for you all in the days ahead.
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Kevin Day-Thorburn posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
I was just thinking of Mr. MacKenzie today, so it's a shock to learn of his passing. As the other memories will attest, he was anything but a cookie-cutter teacher. My dad went to school with him and they were both on the Dartmouth High football team for a bit. I still have a photo of George as QB clipped from the paper somewhere with my dad as fullback. I know he left a positive impression on many lives. My condolences to the family and his friends.
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Wanda and Bruce MacInnes posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Dear Barb and family. I was so sorry to see that George has passed away. I remember you both in the late 60's when we were all starting our adult lives and finding our soul mates. I know George was definitely yours Barb and such a beautiful couple you made. Our sincere condolences. Wanda and Bruce MacInnes
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Gage Mackintosh posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Knew George well when we played together at Brightwood in the Wild Bunch golf group. He was a very good player and I also knew of his other sporting prowess. We attended a number of Wild Bunch functions and we got know each other better. My daughter Emily and his sons Billy and Bobby were of the same age and we had some good memories from the group picnics. Condolences to Barb and family.
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Janet O’Brien posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
My sincere condolences to Barb and family at this very difficult time. Love and Prayers
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John David West lit a candle
Saturday, November 23, 2024
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Hi Barb &Bill and Bob !
We have been thinking of you guys for weeks . When dad passed away a friend wrote a not to our family that said
" He is not gone,just away ".
Hope that makes you feel a little better.
Shirley & David
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Ted & Sandra (Hines) Parker posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Condolences to the Mackenzie and West families.
Ted and Sandra (Hines) Parker
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Gordon Beattie posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Mr. MacKenzie taught me Juniour High Phys Ed and Health. He left a lasting memory to many whom he taught at Major Stevens JH. He had a very big influence on many. Those of us that went into teaching still use many of his one line comments in our teaching. He was one of the best teachers I ever had. My condolences to his family. Rest in Peace Mr. MacKenzie and thanks for the great memories.
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Tom Cross posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
To Barb & Family,
So very surprised and sorry to hear of George’s passing. He truly was an exceptionally kind and wonderful person. I’m sure I played hundreds of rounds of golf with George over the years, and I enjoyed every one! My wife Linda recalls working with George and remembers his wonderful relationship with her primary children. He will be missed by many.
Our heartfelt condolences,
Tom Cross & Linda Levangie
“Heaven is just a conversation away”. ~
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Nancy Boyne posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Dear Barbara and family
I am so sorry to hear about George. We have lost touch over the years,but I still have great memories of our childhood visits as families. hanging out together,mostly for Sunday "tea" and at XMAS at each others' homes. He was always so much fun to be with.
Sincerely
Nancy Myers Boyne - cousin.
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michael Currie posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Barb and family , so very sorry to hear of George's recent passing... So many memories !!! One of Dartmouth 's best athletes ever !! One memory stands out.... As juniors, George's father , Bill drove us to Brightwood on his way to work .. we would caddy a round and then play a round !! And my father would pick us up on his way home from work ... We had such great times as juniors !! RIP.
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Alex Joseph posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
To Barb and family. I was sad to read the passing of George. My deepest condolences to the family. I can still recall back in 1975 when George and Archie MacDonald teamed up to win the first Moonlighter Invitional played at Brightwood. We called him the Iron Man because he played the game of golf hitting most of his shots with an iron. RIP Iron Man.
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Randy Brennan posted a condolence
Saturday, November 23, 2024
I worked with George at the Digby Pines Resort in the late 60s. He was a great guy then with a big heart and lots of humour and it sounds like that continued throughout his life.
RIP George
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Paul and Joan posted a condolence
Friday, November 22, 2024
Two sister, Barb, Bobby and Billy and all the grandkids so sorry to hear about George’s passing he will always be remembered
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Donna Mackenzie MacDonald posted a condolence
Friday, November 22, 2024
RIP my brother.
Remembering only the fun times of our early days.
Holidays, birthdays, Sunday dinners.
Hot dog bbq’s in our parent’s backyard.
Banook.
Mum’s egg salad sandwiches every Natal Day!
Shared birthday cakes.
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The family of George Thomas MacKenzie uploaded a photo
Thursday, November 21, 2024
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The family of George Thomas MacKenzie uploaded a photo
Thursday, November 21, 2024
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