Obituary of John Alexander Magee
MAGEE, John Alexander - March 4 2022 - In his 86th year, Alex passed peacefully in his sleep. Predeceased by Marie (nee Benn) his beloved wife of 53 years. Loving father of Mark (Carole), the late Andrew (Jacqueline), Patrick (Beverly) and Katherine (Kyle). Alex will be greatly missed by his grandchildren Brittany, Jordan, Jacob, Robert, Matthew, Brooklin, Meghan, Emily, Collin, Kieran, Kali and great grandchildren Vienna, Giannino and Augustus. Predeceased by his brother Malcolm and his parents Lewis and Beulah Magee (nee Rombough).
Alex was born on October 4th 1936 in his grandfather Rombough’s farmhouse on the south shore of Hay Bay, Ontario. It was a place he would visit often as a child exploring those 400 acres with his brother Mack and delighting in the company of his many uncles and his grandmother. He spent much of his youth in Northern Ontario where his father worked in the logging industry and his mother was a nurse. He loved the outdoors and being in the woods.
When his family moved to Kingston he attended KCVI. After graduation in 1955, he was hired by Vicom Ltd as their first tool and die apprentice. In the early 1980s, now in the position of manufacturing engineer, Alex designed the machining process to build the pitch housing for the Canadian, Swedish and Colombian Boeing Vertol 107-type helicopters. In the words of Vicom owner John MacKay, “Boeing’s team came up from Philadelphia, we sat for four hours while Alex presented his manufacturing plan, then I asked if there were any questions; there was dead silence, and then finally one of them said that they couldn’t think of any other way to do it.” Vicom got the contract over six other U.S and one other Canadian firm. Alex was an innovator, and a problem solver. He was a tool maker. After 38 years with NYAB/Vicom, he joined George A. Wright & Son machining where he worked for 12 more years.
There will be a Celebration of Life on Monday, March 21st from 11am -1 pm at James Reid Celebration Centre (please enter from the rear parking lot) 1900 John Counter Boulevard, followed by a graveside service at Riverview Cemetery in Napanee (near hospital) at 2 pm. All are welcome.
As expressions of sympathy, contributions to Ducks Unlimited Canada would be appreciated.
