Joseph John Makinson

Joseph was born on June 26, 1936, in Montreal, QC and passed away on September 29, 2026, in Rawdon, QC.

Joseph was predeceased by his spouse of 67 years, Jacqueline, his sisters Irene and Cathy and his brother Kenneth. He is survived by three children, Michael (Bonnie), Robert (Brenda) and Gregory and brothers John (Nicole), Patrick (Beverly) and David (Monica) and sister Susan (John). Joseph will be fondly remembered by his grandchildren Patrick, Carly, Meryl and Brandon (Andrea) and great-granddaughter Paisley.

He attended Drummond Elementary School and Rosemount High School, where he met Jacqueline. In 1955 Joseph and Jacqueline were married in a small church in Rawdon. The couple made their home in the Rosemount district of Montreal and by late 1959 had three sons.

Joseph joined Bell Canada at the age of 19 in the construction department, initially as a lineman and later moved to cable repair. He retired in 1993 with 38 years of service.

In 1993 Joseph and Jacqueline moved to Gratten Lake, a small cottage community an hour’s drive north of Montreal. Their lake front retirement home was a long-term project that began in the late 1960’s. Joseph built the house with help from family members, friends and local contractors. Most of the work was completed during the summer, while the house was occupied by family and guests.

He was happiest when enjoying the company of family and friends, or fishing. A few fish caught with one of his sons in the boat drew the widest smiles.

Joseph was committed to his community. He was a member of the Rosemount Men’s Association, The Gratten Lake Recreation Association, a Mason and a Shriner. He helped raise funds and awareness for the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Joseph will be most remembered for his unwavering commitment to the environment in the Gratten Lake area. This commitment required changes from certain practices, the impact of which were not fully understood decades ago. From water levels, run-off, shoreline encroachment,taking water samples to be analyzed for quality, fishing and any activity that could cause harm, Joseph was paying attention. One of his memorable achievements was participating in the initiation of stocking the lake with trout, an activity he looked forward to on an annual basis.

A special thank you to the staff at Heather Long-Term Care and Accommodation Center, Centre d'hébergement et de soins de longue durée Heather.

In keeping with Joseph’s wishes, no formal services will be held