Obituary of Ernie MacKinnon

MacKinnon, George Ernest “Ernie”

Passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, at St. Mary’s hospital on August 13, 2017, one day short of his 80th birthday, after a lengthy illness.

Survived by a sister Beth (Tom Charlton) of Ottawa; sister-in-law Audrey MacKinnon (née Butt) of Cranbrooke; nieces Leah MacKinnon (Francis Muzio) and Meghan MacKinnon (Alfred Rempel) of Kitchener-Waterloo and their families: niece Fiona Charlton and nephew Craig Charlton of Ottawa; nephews Gregory MacKinnon (Vanessa) of Kelowna; Doug MacKinnon of Burnaby; Richard MacKinnon (Cindy) of Winnipeg; Michael MacKinnon (Rita) of Ottawa; and nieces Jane Ramus (Frank) of Airdrie; and Joan MacKinnon (Clayton) of Cranbrooke. Numerous grand-nieces and grand-nephews also survive. Ernie will be deeply missed.

Predeceased by his father and mother, Edmund and Mildred MacKinnon (née Lythgoe); brothers Don, John, Robin and Edmund; sisters-in-law Lorraine Lynch and Cathy Oughton; and niece Mary MacKinnon.

Ernie graduated from Queen’s University with his B.A. Honours and Masters degrees; was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow; and graduated from John’s Hopkins University in Baltimore with his PhD.  He was one of the founding members of the Psychology Department at the University of Waterloo and had a very successful academic and consulting career. Ernie had many passions and interests, including photography, Tai Chi, gardening and travel, and made many deep friendships through the pursuit of these interests. He was also an active member of the K-W Chamber Music Festival and loved music of all genres.

Huge thanks to Sarah Main-Pilon of CCAC, the Premier Home Care team (especially Mah Bonyanian and Scarlett Alfaro), the team at Luther Village, and Maria, Dr. Sellers, and the rest of the health care providers at St. Mary's hospital in Kitchener.

Friends are invited to share their memories of Ernie with his family during memorial visitation at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. S., Waterloo, on Saturday, September 9, 2017 from 2-3 pm.  A memorial service to celebrate Ernie’s life will follow in the chapel of the funeral home at 3:00 pm.  A reception will follow in the Fireside Reception Room of the funeral home.

Condolences for the family and donations to St. Mary’s Hospital or KidsAbility, in lieu of flowers, may be arranged through the funeral home at www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445.