Albert F. “Al” Mackinaw, 83, died on his birthday Thursday, July 28 and his wife Claire M. (Merchant) Mackinaw, 82, died July 29, 2011 both after lengthy illnesses. They had been married for 57 years.
Al was born and raised in Brockton, MA. He was the son of the late George W. and Katherine E. (Troy) Mackinaw and was a 1948 graduate of Brockton High School. During the Korean Conflict he served in the US Army. Al had been a master tool & die machinist at Varian Associates in Lexington for 42 years.
Claire was born and raised in Westborough, MA. She was the daughter of the late Charles J. and Theresa A. (LeBeau) Merchant and was a 1947 graduate of Westborough High School. Following High School and prior to moving to Brockton, Claire worked as a payroll manager for Bay State Abrasives and after raising her children returned to work as a bookkeeper at Monty’s Cycle Shop in West Bridgewater.
Al and Claire had a lifelong love for Harley Davidson motorcycles. He was a member of the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) and the motorcycle division of the Brockton Civil Defense and both were lifetime members of the Tumbleweed Motorcycle Club of Brockton. Beyond their devotion to each other, their family and friends they shared a love of travel. Claire was also a diehard sports fan of all our Boston teams.
They are survived by their three children Linda Mackinaw of Brockton, Gary Mackinaw of Long Beach, CA; Karen Real and her husband Jeffrey of Orange, CA and were the parents of the late Kathleen and John Mackinaw; two grandchildren Nicholas and Kaitlyn Real; and several nieces and nephews. Al is also survived by his sister Gertrude Horsley of Brockton and was the brother of the late Katherine Moneghan. Claire is also survived by her brother Gerald Merchant of Westborough and was the sister of the late Thomas, Donald, George and Mary Merchant.
Visiting hours will be held at the Conley Funeral Home, located at 138 Belmont Street (Rte 123) in Brockton on Tuesday 4-8 pm. The funeral procession will gather at the funeral home Wednesday at 8 am followed by a Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church at 9 am. Burial will be in St. Luke Cemetery, Westborough at 11:30 am. Flowers will be welcomed or donations may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Church Street Station P.O. Box 780 New York, NY 10008-0780 for online donations click here or the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168 Boston, MA 02284-9168 for online donations click here.