Monument planned to honour Yarmouth icon

Unveiling of Jim MacLeod tribute expected this fall

The man many refer to as “Mr. Yarmouth” will have his contributions to community life honoured in a very public manner later this year.

Jim MacLeod, a councillor and business leader in Yarmouth for many years, was well known for his efforts to support his hometown. Those efforts will be immortalized with a monument in the former Alma Square, which town council is renaming the Jim MacLeod Square.

MacLeod served two terms as town councillor in the late 1980s and early ’90s, according to the obituary posted on his passing on June 26, 2021. He was re-elected to town council in 2012, 2016 and 2020. His many roles as councillor included being the deputy mayor and he was on several committees. He was a long-standing member of the planning advisory committee, often serving as its chair.

Over the years, he was active in the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia, at one point serving as president. MacLeod was also a great supporter of the YMCA and served a term as president, the obituary added.

MacLeod was a fixture in the Town of Yarmouth. Many generations of kids and adults liked to watch him in the Seafest Parade riding his penny-farthing bicycle. On any given day, you could find him walking and chatting to the people he met, taking photos and sharing them with others, the obituary also noted.

“Jim loved the town and residents and he gave very quietly,” said current Mayor Pam Mood. “He helped more people than anyone will ever understand because he did it quietly. He knew the needs and he gave willingly.

“He was involved in the waterfront committee because he had a huge love for the waterfront,” the mayor continued. “He chaired things like the planning advisory committee because he understood fully that in order to grow a community you have to plan for it.

“For me as a mayor, he was my deputy for a few years and he was always there to lend a hand. He was very forward thinking and a very positive influence on everyone around him. I can say without question that Yarmouth would not be the town she is without Jim MacLeod’s influence and his magic touch on everything that was important to him,” she added.

A GIVING NATURE

MacLeod’s family has been involved in the development of the monument, Mood noted.

“Jim’s family understood how much he loved this community and wanted to make sure that there’s something erected in his memory that basically brings smiles to people’s faces. I would suggest it would encourage people to be the way Jim was — very giving and kind.”

The monument is being built in consultation with a local funeral home and once ground preparation is completed, there will be an unveiling, although likely not before the fall, Mood said.

“It’s going to be a fun monument that will encompass his time as a pharmacist, a councillor and as a community member.”

His sister, Kathryn Murphy, was the youngest of five siblings and always looked up to her oldest brother.

“Jim was a non-judgmental, caring and forward-thinking individual in his career as a pharmacist and as a town councillor,” she said. “He wanted his community and residents to thrive and for everyone to be proud to call Yarmouth (town and county) home.

“I was so proud he was my brother and very proud to be his sister. He was just quietly giving. He was always interested in politics and governments and thought of different levels but decided that municipal was for him,” Murphy noted. “He ran for office five times and four of those got more votes than anyone else.

“As a councillor, he just worked quietly behind the scenes, negotiating, dealing with people or projects,” she explained. “He wasn’t one to go to council meetings and say, ‘I did this’ or ‘I did that’ — he wasn’t a me person. Whatever he was working on, he did it for the project, not the ego.”

A community outpouring of well wishes at the time of his passing was at times overwhelming, his sister noted, but it did provide some relief knowing how much he was appreciated.

“When he died, there was nothing else on Facebook for three days,” she said. “It was overwhelming the response from the public, but it was nice and it was difficult at the same time.”

Despite some early apprehension on the part of the family to create a public memorial for such a quiet and humble leader, Murphy noted the effort feels appropriate in consideration of the lives he touched.

“It’s an emotional thing. We’re still going through our year of firsts and at the same time not so sure what he would think of it,” she said.

“He was successful in life and in his career and it showed with what he left to the community.”

“Jim was a nonjudgmental, caring and forwardthinking individual in his career as a pharmacist and as a town councillor.” Kathryn Murphy Sister