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In memory of

Paul MacNeil

Ocala, Florida

January 7, 1948 - October 30, 2019

Jan 7, 1948 - Oct 30, 2019

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Paul MacNeil, beloved father and grandfather, poet, and consummate storyteller, passed away on Wednesday, October 30th, 2019, surrounded by family after a battle with cancer.

Paul was born on January 7th, 1948, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Judith and John MacNeil. Along with his older brother Peter, he grew up in Sarasota, Florida, but spent his summers in the woods of northern Maine. These summers were filled with tree climbing, hiking, and canoeing on Lake Onawa with his brother Peter and their life-long friends around the lake. His love of Maine led him to attend Nasson College in Springvale, Maine, earning a degree in Psychology in 1969. He went on to earn a Master's Degree in Behavioral Sciences from The University of South Florida in 1971, where he met his late wife, Linda. He liked to say that one of the best stories of his life began with the words, “I met my wife in a brewery…” From that afternoon at the Busch Gardens brewery, their love grew and they chose to make a life together. He and Linda were married on September 4th, 1971, and had one daughter together.

Paul was an accomplished clarinetist and developed a keen appreciation for classical music under the guidance of his mother Judith, a concert violinist and pianist. After a career in banking, he eventually went on to own a music store in downtown Tampa, Florida. After his wife passed away in 1984, Paul dedicated himself to raising their daughter. From painting her nails, to exploring the woods of northern Maine, to teaching her to hit a softball, Paul excelled at fatherhood.

He later went on to discover one of the other great loves of his life—haiku and its community of poets. Paul was an Associate Editor of “The Heron’s Nest” from 2000 through autumn of 2019. His haiku are published in countless journals around the world, as well as such volumes as “Where the River Goes: The Nature Tradition in English-Language Haiku”, and “Haiku in English: The First Hundred Years”. In addition to haiku, he was deeply involved with renku, a traditional Japanese form of collaborative linked-verse poetry. Paul was a member of teams winning Grand Prizes on six occasions in the Haiku Society of America’s Einbond Renku Award.

Paul is survived by his mother Judith Merrill, his daughter Meghan MacNeil, son-in-law Aaron Bitters, and granddaughters Abby and Maddie. Paul was preceded in death by his brother Peter, father John, step-father Bob, and beloved wife Linda.

Family, friends, and others whose lives Paul touched are invited to attend a memorial service celebrating Paul’s life at the MacNeil Chapel at Plymouth Harbor, 700 John Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, Florida, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 9th. A reception for family and friends will be held immediately following the memorial service. A celebration of Paul’s life will also be held in Onawa, Maine, in the summer of 2020 (details to come). In lieu of flowers, please leave stories, photos, memories, haiku, etc… at his memorial web site: https://everloved.com/life-of…

Paul was a loving father and grandfather, a kind and loyal friend, a thoughtful and skilled poet, a generous editor and mentor, and an ever-curious student of life and the natural world. In the words of his friend and esteemed poet Kirsty Karkow, “his voice grows soft with sharing/ lake lore learning from his childhood.”

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