MacLeod, Alfred Wallace “Alfie”

Sydney River, NS

March 10, 1956 - September 28, 2025

We, the family of Alfred Wallace “Alfie” MacLeod, regret to announce his passing on Sunday, September 28, 2025, in Hospice Cape Breton surrounded by his loving family.

Born March 10, 1956, in Sydney River, he was a son of the late Alfred and Elizabeth (Kennedy) MacLeod.

At the age of 16, after growing up in Sydney River, Alfie moved to Stirling to live with his aunt and uncle to attend high school in St. Peters where he boarded through the week and looked forward to seeing Shirley on the weekends. He attended his first political meeting in high school and was hooked. In his grade 12 year, Alfie was class president, valedictorian, and was awarded the Lieutenant Governor's Medal and the Burke’s Medal.

After high school, he spent a season as a soldier at the Fortress of Louisbourg before starting his lengthy career with Devco where he manned the Sheep Project, worked underground, was in the lab and finished as their safety officer.

In the fall of ‘95, Dad’s love for politics drove him to put his name on the ballot, resulting in his first term serving as MLA for the constituents of Cape Breton West. In 1999, under the Honorable John Hamm’s government, Dad ran the Cape Breton Cabinet office. He then was Community Relations Manager for the Sydney Steel Corporation.

In the spring of 2006, the political fire was burning in Dad’s belly once again and a successful election resulted holding his seat until retiring from provincial politics in July of 2019. During this time, Dad was caucus chair and from 2007 - 2009 was elected by his peers to be Speaker of the House.

In 2017, Dad became a Justice of the Peace adding to his lengthy list of skills which allowed him the pleasure of performing the ceremonies at both Jessica and Daniel’s weddings that very year. Adding his love of auctions (or maybe just raising tons of money for every charity, school, and person in need), weekends were full of love and community passion, two of the fundamentals that drove Dad’s inspiring dedication to his community, to Cape Breton, and that he instilled in us kids and then grandkids.

During the years of public service, visiting church halls, legions, fire halls, schools, ushering from meetings, to speaking engagements and legislature sessions, Mom kept life moving at home. As the kids grew, so did their family, adding two sons-in-law, a daughter-in-law, six beautiful grandkids, who were the absolute loves of his life and, in a blink, Alfie MacLeod, MLA became Pops, which at the end of the day, was his most favorite title.

Dad’s sun rose and set on his beautiful grandkids. The worst of days were turned around by any one of their happy faces. Meetings turned into basketball and baseball games, conference calls to drama performances, legislature sittings to impromptu sleepovers and he couldn’t have dreamed of a better reality. Dad was known for bragging of winning the Cape Breton Lottery. All of his kids and grandkids were here on our island, and could be all in one place within the hour. Family was everything and Dad knew he had it all.

Alfie is survived by his wife of 48 years, Shirley (MacDonald); daughters, Sandra (Solomon) Linklater and Jessica (Joe) Stonehouse, both of Howie Centre; son, Daniel (Amber) MacLeod, Gabarus Lake; honorary daughter, Kim Collins and her son, Cameron Collins; grandchildren, Logan, Keigan, Emma, Nolan, Rylee and Lauchie; sister, Valerie (Steve) MacIntosh, Etobicoke, Ont; mother-in-law, Pearl MacDonald; sister-in-law, Susan (Rick) Charbonneau; and niece and nephews.

In addition to his parents, Alfie was predeceased by his brothers, Richard and Blair; father-in-law, Allister MacDonald; and step-father, Jack Skinner.

Visitation will take place at Our Lady of Fatima Church, Sydney River on Friday, October 3rd from 4-8 p.m. Funeral service will be held in Our Lady of Fatima Church on Saturday, October 4th at 1 p.m. followed by a reception in the United Protestant Church of Sydney River Hall (on the lower level of the church). Interment will take place in Zion Cemetery, Gabarus Lake, at a later date.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the health care professionals whose compassion and care allowed Dad to remain comfortable and enjoy his family to the end.

Memorials may be made to the Horizon Achievement Centre or the Two Rivers Wildlife Park.