Donald Ralph O'Neil

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Don(Donnie) O’Neil of Halifax at the age of 71, on February 13th,2025. Born in Concession, Don was the son of the late Ralph and Georgine (Melanson) O’Neil. He was predeceased by his sister Connie O’Neil. Don was dearly loved and is survived by his wife Loretta (Theriault) O’Neil and his daughter Genevieve (O’Neil) MacIntyre (Ray)as well as his sisters Anne (O’Neil) LeBlanc (Stephen) and Cindy (O’Neil) Comeau (Brian). Don was especially proud of his nieces and nephews. He had great joy in teasing them and making them laugh. Don served 36 years as a professional firefighter in HRM. He especially cherished the life long friendships he made along his journey. He spent great deal of time helping out by raising funds for his department charities. As a firefighter, Don had a bad reputation for his snoring, which resulted in him having his own private room at the firehall. Don and Loretta were Florida snowbirds for several years before it it was decided that they were going to be beachbums at Scally Wags campground in Church Point NS. Don loved his summers there, so much so that that he was the unofficial mayor of Scallywags campground, which he took seriously; checking in on everybody daily; getting all the gossip and playing washer toss tournaments.. he was always in possession of his “coffee mug” with its secret contents… Don loved his friends especially the furry ones, like Henri, Allie and Kitty who he bribed with lots of treats. Don was a great friend to those that knew him, you could always expect the truth from Don, whether you wanted to hear it or not, a no nonsense type of guy who had a big heart even if he didn’t want you to know it. Don was very handy and could always be relied on to jump in and help whenever someone needed a hand. The family would like to give a big thank you to the staff that cared for Don during his stay or “incarceration” as Don liked to say at the QE2 Infirmary on the 7.2 floor. We would like to thank the recovery nurse for letting him use their phone after his surgeries and also to the VON for all there care that that they provided while Don was at home. A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of donations, the family request for acts of kindness to be done for others in memory of Don.

Donald Ralph O'Neil

May 29, 1953 - February 13, 2025