He died alone after a life falling through society’s cracks and his passing may have gone unnoticed, had it not been for a caring few.
Ian McDonald had spent time living on the streets, but recently he called a Fredericton rooming house home.
He died there earlier this month, and when his remains went unclaimed, people at a Fredericton church made sure he was remembered.
Several dozen people attended a funeral service on Wednesday, remembering McDonald as a compassionate man, but one who struggled.
“Ian was an extremely generous and outgoing man who had his struggles to overcome,” said Jan Lockhart, recalling the two sides of her friend’s personality.
“But he also was very vulnerable, and he was quite insecure."
Warren Maddox runs Fredericton’s emergency shelters. He didn’t know Ian McDonald, but says those living outside society’s margins deserve as much dignity in death as those living within.
“Though you may have lived a life that is hard or tough, you may have lived a life where you've done things that, maybe you aren't particularly proud of, or society may not look on as a legacy — but overall you do deserve the dignity that a human being should have,” he said.
Those at the service said McDonald’s passing is one of many they’ve marked when others haven’t.
His final resting place has yet to be determined, but McDonald's friend Lockhart says she’s glad his life has been celebrated.
“It was a wonderful reflection of his life … people came to tell him they loved him and cared for him and that his life had meaning,” she said.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell
