Michael Archie MacNeil

On Thursday, February 19, 2026, we said goodbye to my Uncle Michael MacNeil of Benacadie, Cape Breton. At 96 years of age, just weeks shy of his 97th birthday on March 30. He left this world the way he lived in it: steady, strong, and faithful to his duty.

As the eldest son, after his father Jack passed away while he was still just a young lad, Uncle Michael became the heir to the family home in Benacadie. But more than that, he became the steady presence for his family. He quietly carried responsibility that most boys should never have to carry, and he carried it with strength and resolve.

He worked whatever jobs he could find. He carried heavy bags of flour to his mother in Christmas Island, not for recognition, but because that’s what a son and a big brother does. He may have left with some homemade bannock, but what he truly carried was loyalty and love.

Uncle Michael grew into a protector and a warrior for his family, shaped by the school of hard knocks, strengthened in both body and mind. He lived a life of service, in his work, in his home, in his community.

He and the cherished women who walked alongside him opened their doors and their hearts to those in need. taking in the sick, speaking up for those without a voice, offering quiet help with cash in hand or a simple gift, always protecting the dignity of the one receiving it.

He answered the call as a volunteer firefighter and rose to become Captain and Chief, a reflection of who he already was: someone others trusted when it mattered most.

He also served proudly as Clan President for the Atlantic Region and as our Clan MacNeil oral historian, preserving and sharing the Gaelic language and the stories that shape who we are. He did not just remember history, he carried it.

As a proud MacNeil of Barra, he lived our clan motto, “Buaidh no Bàs” — “Victory or Death” — not in battle, but in perseverance, in loyalty, and in steadfast service to family and community.

“Cha bhi cuimhne gun sgeul.”

(There is no memory without story.)

Uncle Michael made sure our stories would not be lost.

Rest easy, Uncle Michael. Your watch is over, and your story lives on.

To learn more about his remarkable life and work, you can read his story here:

http://cainntmomhathar.com/speaker/sp/17/l/e/

A funeral mass and burial will take place at a later date. Memories and condolences can be shared with the family by visiting twcurry.com.