Obituary of Malcolm Roderick McLeod

With the heaviest of hearts, but with hearts so full of love, we announce the passing of our father, husband, brother, and uncle, Malcolm Roderick McLeod of Regina, SK on Saturday, December 14, 2019. He will forever be loved, and missed, by his wife of 37 years, Shirley; his daughters Annie (Joel) and Valerie of Regina; sister Betty and her husband Alex of Victoria; and sister Heather, her husband Christopher and their daughter Sophie (Joe) of Ottawa. Malcolm was born in Regina in 1951 to Derril Gordon McLeod and Margaret Evan McLeod (née Messner). As a boy, Malcolm exceled in science, earning awards in science fairs in his elementary and high school days. During high school, he participated in the wrestling program at Campbell Collegiate and continued with this sport into his university days. One of the highlights was winning a silver medal in wrestling at the Canada Winter Games. He also participated in rowing at the first-ever Western Canada Summer Games, which took place on Wascana Lake in 1975. With a knack for learning and accumulating knowledge, he completed a degree in political science from the University of Saskatchewan before enrolling in the University of Regina’s School of Journalism and Communications — a brand new program of which he was part of the first graduating class in 1982. The completion of his journalism studies included an internship at the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. After obtaining his journalism degree, Malcolm began an 18-year career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Regina. He started with the CBC as a reporter and moved on to the role of assignment editor before progressing to producer. He was also part of the ownership, and chair of the board, of the McKay group of companies. In addition to his love of words, Malcolm had a passion for flying. In the mid-1970s he became a fixed-wing pilot through training at the Regina Flying Club. After going for a hot air balloon ride in Edmonton, Malcolm also became hooked on this form of aviation, making it his mission to become a master of the hobby. In 1976, he achieved one of his dreams when he and Shirley were among the founders of the Prairie Balloon Group — a Regina-based club for hot air balloon enthusiasts — which purchased a balloon for the enjoyment of its members and for those outside of the group who showed an interest in the hobby. Malcolm became a hot air balloon pilot in 1977 and was the first club member certified to fly the balloon, aptly named Aeolus after the Greek god of the winds. In 1979, he had the opportunity to fly a hot air balloon airship in Bristol, England. He was also a member of the Canadian Balloon Association (CBA) and acted as a director for the CBA. Annie and Valerie, born in the 80s, have fond memories of being the children of a balloonist, attending balloon rallies in locations such as Plentywood, Montana, throwing stuffed animals out of the balloon basket at tethered events, and chasing the corks after they were popped from the customary champagne bottles that completed each balloon flight. Even after Aeolus was too old to fly, Malcolm continued his passion for hot air balloons by flying for Sundance Balloons, acting as safety officer and balloonmeister at balloon rallies throughout the country and, during his retirement years, writing a book on the history of hot air ballooning in Canada. Another one of his aviation dreams was realized when he purchased his first airplane, a homebuilt Cavalier, from which he then upgraded to a homebuilt Falco. As a pilot, he was a proud member of the Civil Air Search & Rescue Association (CASARA), the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA), the Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS), the Saskatchewan Aviation Council (SAC), and the Regina Flying Club (RFC). In recent years, his love of aviation focused more on remote control aircraft and he was an avid member of the recreational group The Windy Flyers. Malcolm, along with members of the EAA, was instrumental in bringing a B-25 bomber to Regina in 2015 and a B-17 bomber in 2016. He was also a regular contributor to Canadian Aviator Magazine. Malcolm was passionate about two-wheeled transportation as well. Motorcycles were a part of his life since high school and he competed in motocross events and flat-track racing in the 1970s. He had a number of cruiser bikes throughout his life, each of which he loved to ride, maintain and soup up as needed. Malcolm also loved radios, a hobby that he tuned into in his childhood when he fixed an old radio his father brought home from his office. He built on that enthusiasm through the use of amateur/ham radios when he was in his early teens — an interest that lasted his entire life. He was a long-time member of the Regina Amateur Radio Association (RARA) and Radio Amateurs Canada (RAC) and, through this pastime, was involved in numerous public service events and initiatives. A man of many interests and hobbies, Malcolm was an avid musician and played a number of instruments, including the fiddle, drums, piccolo and flute. In his teenage years, he was a member of the Regina Police Boys Band and during his university days, he played in the spoof marching band called the Intensely Vigorous College Nine in Saskatoon and was one of the founding members of the Regina-based bluegrass rock band Moonshine Molly. Throughout his life, he enjoyed playing in a number of Celtic bands, attending fiddle camps, organizing National Fiddle Day celebrations and sharing his knowledge of Métis fiddle music at community events throughout the province. While Malcolm was passionate about writing, aviation, motorcycles, and music, his greatest love was his family. Malcolm and Shirley began dating in 1973 and were married in May 1982. Together, they had two children to whom Dad instantly became their hero. No matter the problem, Malcolm was there to remedy the situation, make things right, and set them up for success. He could somehow fix anything that needed to be repaired and was always just a call away when help was required. Smart, persuasive and resourceful, there wasn’t a challenge that Malcolm couldn’t tackle. When asked a question, he would almost always have the answer and if he didn’t know the answer, he would find it quickly. He was so proud of his family and everything his girls have accomplished and we are so fortunate that he provided us with all the tools we need to be successful in life. While Malcolm/Dad may have traded in his pilot’s wings for angel wings, he will continue to be our navigator as he sits in the pilot’s seat of our hearts each and every day.