Nova Scotia.pdf - ATLANTIC ATLANTIC Nova Scotia taxi driver...

HALIFAX - It was no surprise that beloved Antigonish, N.S.,
taxi driver John MacLellan gave what money he had to the
local hospital in his will, family friend Margie Zinck said.
"But we were very surprised by the amount," Zinck said,
reached by phone Wednesday at her home in Antigonish, in
the province's northeast.
MacLellan, who went by Johnny, left $1.68 million to St.
Martha's Regional Hospital, marking the largest single
donation in its history.
ATLANTIC
Nova Scotia taxi driver leaves $1.68
million to local hospital in his will
MacLellan spent 63 years as a taxi driver in Antigonish before retiring at 89
after a stroke. He was always frugal, Zinck said, adding that she believes he
made some of his money in the stock market. (SOURCE: YouTube: St.
Martha's Regional Hospital Foundation NS)
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ATLANTIC

He spent 63 years as a taxi driver in Antigonish before
retiring at 89 after a stroke. MacLellan was always frugal,
Zinck said, adding that she believes he made some of his
money in the stock market.
"He always kept saying he'd leave a lot of money to the
hospital; he was always saying that," Zinck said, adding that
she never imagined how much money he would give.
MacLellan died in 2018 at age 96, and he gifted $1.68
million to the hospital in increments spread over several
months. The hospital received the final payment from
MacLellan's estate in June 2021. The generous gift was
only made public earlier this month, however, when the St.
Martha's Hospital Foundation released a video tribute to
MacLellan.
Foundation chair Meghan MacGillivray-Case said her group
didn't realize the true size of the donation until it received
the last payment.
"We are so very grateful to John MacLellan," she said in an
interview Wednesday. "It's just so impactful to the
community here."
Zinck said she met MacLellan when she was 13 years old.
He worked most of his career for Zinck Taxi, the company
owned by the father of her husband, Donald Zinck. She said
MacLellan drove her and a few classmates to school before
there was a bus route.
"He was very kind and he always talked to us," she said.
"He'd find out everything about everybody. He'd find out
where you came from and who your parents are."
Zinck said it was well known that MacLellan loved being a
taxi driver and took pride in doing the job well. "I think he
knew most of the history of Antigonish and people's
problems."