Obituary of Norman Bethune MacEachern

Norman Bethune MacEachern passed away unexpectedly on March 19, 2024, surrounded by his family. Born in New Glasgow on October 6, 1945 and raised in Ashby, he was the son of the late Dr. George and Dorothy (Maxwell) MacEachern. Norman is survived by his wife, Barbara (MacLennan); daughter, Helen (Val) MacDougall; sons, Michael (Sagari) MacLennan, Rod (Jackie) Campbell; granddaughters, Katie (Michael Boutilier) MacDougall, Meg MacDougall; grandsons, Gregor (Ricki-Lee Warren) MacDougall and Aidan MacLennan; sisters, Kay King and Sylvia Hackett; sister-in-law, Sharon MacEachern; brother, Ron (Lola) MacEachern, and several beloved nieces and nephews. Norman was predeceased by his parents, George and Dorothy, brother Earl (Bucky), and brothers-in-law, George King and Tom Hackett. Norman, fondly remembered as "Norman the Foreman", found fulfillment in his work as a millwright at Sydney Steel until his retirement in 1999. Norm was a frequent participant at the Schooner Curling Club and occasional golfer. In recent years, he enjoyed watching Liverpool Football matches with Michael 11,000 km apart. However, his true joy came from his role as "Pier Papa" to his grandchildren. He cherished keeping up with their interests and sharing his knowledge and stories with them. Before Norman was Papa, he was a devoted father to Helen and Michael, shaping their upbringing in Whitney Pier with his love for geography, history, politics, comedy, music, and classic films and TV. A wealth of mostly useless information, he was often Katie’s “secret weapon” at various trivia nights. Norman AKA Pier Papa loved nothing more than a whiskey, great music and “the kids”. Norman recently became a Papa again with the Summer 2023 birth of Aidan in Dubai and was counting the days to meeting his newest grandson. Cremation has taken place under the care and direction of T.J. Tracey Cremation and Burial Specialists, 6 Churchill Drive, Sydney, NS., 902-539-7175. Visitation will be held in the funeral home on Thursday, March 28, 2024 from 2-4 followed by a service at 4pm Words of condolence may be made to the family by visiting www.tjtracey.com.