Alexander Macarthur

'Joe' Alexander Joseph MacArthurIt is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our wonderful father, grandfather and a superior athlete, Joe MacArthur, on Thursday, September 13, 2001.Alexander Joseph MacArthur was born on May 1, 1913 to Alex and Nellie MacArthur, in Fort William.Joe is survived by his sister, Betty Hogg, his brother-in-law, Bill Love of Winnipeg, his daughters Laura (Don) Quinte, and Janet (Bill Sobkowich) MacArthur, his grandchildren, Kathie (Paul) Shermack, and Kevin Quinte, his nieces, Mary (Bob) Perry, Audrey (Jim) Burnell, Joel (Bink) McKillop, Gail (Ken) Cade, and his nephews, Tom Fry, Keith Hogg and Bruce MacArthur and Joe is also survived by his faithful Schnauzer, Chealsy.Joe was predeceased by his parents, his wife Mary Eva (nee Boyd) MacArthur, his sisters, Helen MacArthur and Jean Fry and brother-in-law Tom Fry, his brothers, Tom (Catherine) MacArthur and Don (Annie) MacArthur, sister-in-law Pat Love and niece Barbara Parkin.Joe spent the majority of his life dedicated to the game of hockey, as well as curling, golf, fishing and baseball.He began his hockey career playing two seasons of junior midget hockey and then jumped right into junior hockey, bypassingsenior midget altogether.Joe;s first season had him as a left-winger, but in his four year junior career he played defense, for St. Andrew's and later the Maroons, with defense partner, Hugh O'Leary.The teammates then moved on together to St. Michael's College in Toronto, where he stayed two seasons.After graduating Joe moved home and played senior hockey with Fort William in 1933-34 when they reached the Allan Cup finals.In 1934-35 Joe became a full-time center man.In November of 1935 Joe began working at Great Lakes Paper, where he was an electrician.During this time he played two more seasons with Fort William, but joined the Port Arthur Bearcats, in the New Year of 1939. That season led Joe and the Bearcats to the Allan Cup Championship on Montreal Forum ice against the Montreal Royals.The Allan Cup Victory was the highlight ofJoe's hockey career.Following the victory, the Bearcats were scheduled to represent Canada at the 1940 Olympic Games, however, WWII broke out and the Olympics didn't take place.For the 1939-40 season, Joe transferred to Lethbridge and played for the Alberta Senior Hockey League, and then back to Fort William for the 1940-41 season.On July 13, 1942 Joe and Mary Eva Boyd were married at a small ceremony in Fort William.The next day Joe joined the Royal Canadian Navy, where he still continued to play hockey for the Navy team.During the war Joe and Mary lived in Victoria, B.C. for a time and then moved back to Fort William and Joe went back to work at the GLP, where he was president of the Great Lakes Athletic Association.Joe also spent a great deal of time at the Fort William Curling Club and even worked there for a period after retiring at GLP.Joe was always an avid fisherman and enjoyed many fishing trips with the boys at Raleigh Lake and LacSeoul.Joe was a loving and dedicated father to two beautiful daughters.Together with his wife he spent many years encouraging his daughter Laura with her figure skating and horse showing and with daughter Janet's gymnastics and later he coached her softball team for many years.Joe also coached midget hockey throughout the years, spending a great deal of time with the Hurricane Midgets, whom he took to the Canadian Midget Championships in Oshawa.After retirement, Joe enjoyed spending a lot of time wiyh his "shadow', his granddaughter Kathie.He encouraged her downhill skiing and like her mother, horse showing.Finally, nine years later he go a 'son', his grandson, Kevin, who became a hockey player at a very young age and Joe was always full of advice for Kevin's game, going to all of his games from Supersquirts to Midget.In later years, Joe also enjoyed spending time with his sidekick, his Schnauzer Chealsy.After retirement Joe became known as the "baker' in the family.For months before Christmas he would bake and freeze for all the gift trays that he gave to friends and family. Joe was an excellent role model in more ways than can begin to be stated.For this, Joe was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame as Sports Builder and again as part of the Port Arthur Bearcats.In 1999 the Bearcats, celebrated their 60th Anniversary of the Allan Cup Victory and afterwards, Joe organized monthly dinners for the former Bearcats and other local hockey legends to attend and reminisce.He thoroughly enjoyed those dinners.Joe liked to keep his family and friends close to him and never missed an occasion to get together.This is something that he has passed on to his family and there will never be a shortage of'get togethers' where we will remember all of his wonderful stories and the important things that he taught us.Family and friends are invited to visit the Jenkens Funeral Home,226 S. Syndicate Avenue, on Sunday, September 16, 2001 from 7-9 p.m. A memorial service for Joe MacArthur will be held on Monday, September 17, 2001 at 11:00 a.m. at First Church United with Rev. Carl Triskle officiating.Service is complete in the church.In lieu of flowers, should friends so desire, donations to the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame or the Care Beyond Compare Fund would be greatly appreciated."