Canton man honored with Lifetime Achievement award

Duncan MacLeod, Sr. with his children: Bonnie, Jeanne, Duncan Jr., and Colin

Duncan MacLeod loved listening to his wife, Marilyn, sing his favorite songs, including “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Just Do Do Do What You’ve Done Done Done Before,” and “The Sound of Music.” Marilyn passed away in 2018, but their daughter Bonnie serenaded her father with those musical memories on Sunday, February 23, during a ceremony at Cornerstone at Canton honoring MacLeod as the assisted living community’s latest Lifetime Achievement recipient.

Now 96 years old, MacLeod is one of the oldest residents at the Revere Street facility and is known affectionately as the “Mayor of Cornerstone.” He grew up in Hyde Park, one of six children, and was an outstanding athlete and was named the captain of the football, hockey, and baseball teams at Hyde Park High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17 and served in Italy during World War II as a member of the elite 10th Mountain Division ski troops. After the war he studied at Dartmouth College and graduated in 1950.

His career started at John Hancock, and he later began to work as a sales manager at New England Telephone, where he met Marilyn Quinn. They raised four children in a house on Sawyer Avenue in Canton: Jeanne Garifallou, Bonnie, Duncan, and Colin. Marilyn and Duncan MacLeod were married for 60 years. Their grandchildren are Lanie, Abby, and Colin.

Duncan and Marilyn were active members of Saint John the Evangelist Church and the Saint John’s School Society. Marilyn was a soloist at Saint John’s for many years. The couple also loved to travel.

Duncan has experienced much happiness, but also faced challenges in his life. The MacLeods lost their house in a fire; Duncan was diagnosed with both cancer and heart disease; and he lost his beloved wife. But he faced his difficulties with a positive spirit.

“He’s got the most amazing attitude,” Garifallou said. “He’s always so humble.”

MacLeod has plans to live to see the century mark in his life. “He wakes up in the morning and says, ‘I made it another night!’” Garifallou said. “He wants to make it to 100. If anyone can do it, I think he will.”

Nell Kavolius, the Enriched Life director at Cornerstone, described MacLeod as genuine, authentic, loving, and kind. She added that he works on strength training at Cornerstone. “I can’t keep up with him,” she said.

The ceremony at Cornerstone took place just outside the dining room in the piano lobby, where Bonnie played and sang. Dozens of friends and family members gathered to hear Kavolius read a speech that Garifallou had written for her father and to present a framed plaque to him, to browse through several photos on a nearby table of MacLeod from his Army days and with family members, and to enjoy yogurt parfait, quiche, cake and mimosas.

“I’m absolutely blown away that Cornerstone would honor him this way,” Garifallou said. “I just couldn’t believe it when they approached us. It’s just such an honor. It’s a chance for us to celebrate his life while he’s still here to enjoy it. We’re all grateful, all of us kids.”

MacLeod sat in the front row at his party and accepted the warm wishes from everyone who attended. “Very, very nice,” he said of the celebration. “I’m enjoying my whole family.”

His wife, Marilyn, was first in his thoughts. “I miss her; I wish she were here,” he said. “She’d be singing.”

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Feb 28 2020. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.