Ron MacDonell

On August 17th, 2025, Ron MacDonell took his last breath on the bank of his beloved St. Lawrence River. Born in Cornwall, Ontario on March 23rd, 1949, Ron traveled the world from Australia to India, Thailand to Patagonia. His favorite place to travel was Little Corn Island, Guatemala, where he spent many winters in recent years, and made wonderful friends. Throughout his life, no matter how far he traveled, Ron always came back to his St. Lawrence roots: St. Francis Island, where he ran wild as a child at the family cottage, and in the last couple of decades Clarke Island where he built a beautiful post-and-beam cottage, on whose porch he’d sit drinking coffee, in the shade of seven oaks, with the breeze from the channel blowing through.

Ron was a flirt, a charmer, and always a storyteller. Whether captivating his children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren with fantastic tales of adventure (and sometimes horror) or retelling incredible and hilarious stories from his life and travels to that guy in the grocery store line, he always had people’s rapt attention.

Now, Ron, ever the viajero sin rumbo (traveller without destination), continues his travels beyond this earthly plane and into the other. He spent his last beautiful morning at his cottage, had one final tomato sandwich, and was with his three children, Melanie, Melissa, and John when he passed. He leaves behind his siblings Sandra (Tom), Danny (Jocelyn), Beth (Dave), Bobby (Michelle), Bernie (Cheryl), Kathy (Billy), Heather (Andre), and Barbara (Lynn), nieces, nephews, and eight grandchildren, but will be joyfully reunited with his parents (Bob and Norma MacDonell), his sister Judy (John), his niece Corrine, and other family and friends who have gone before him.

The world has lost a great storyteller and adventurer. His children and family would appreciate you sharing stories of Ron -- the shenanigans, the tall tales, and the memories you hold that remind us of our favourite warm-hearted wanderer. The pope certainly won't grant him sainthood, and if he ever had the keys to heaven, he probably left them in a pocket somewhere, but with his mother's constant prayers, we are certain he's with his parents, family and friends in heaven, enjoying a new and more amazing adventure.