Longtime Rainy River District resident Neal Grant passed away May 22, 2026. Neal was born in 1927 on a farm near the village of Clonmany, County Donegal, Ireland. He was the sixth child in a family of 10. Neal’s formal education ended when he was 14, and he worked as a farmhand in Northern Ireland until the end of World War II in 1945.
After the war he emigrated to Canada, where his first job was working on a wheat farm in Manitoba. He soon had a job as a fireman in Winnipeg, a role he enjoyed for five years.
During his time in Winnipeg, he and Ita McDonald, a young woman who was also a recent immigrant from Ireland, were married. After their marriage, Neal and Ita bought a farm north of Barwick in Northwestern Ontario. They farmed and raised a family while Neal also worked for the provincial Highways Ministry.
In 1967, the family moved to a small farm near Emo. Neal continued working for Highways until 1990, and stayed on the farm until he was in his mid 80’s. He retired to Emo’s Golden Age Manor after leaving the farm. Neal spent his final year in Winnipeg.
Neal’s Catholic faith was an important part of his life and he was a member of the St. Patrick’s Parish community in Emo for 70+ years. He and Ita encouraged their children to pursue their education, and he was proud to see his children and grandchildren succeed.
Neal was pre-deceased by Ita in 1996; by his daughter Rosaleen in 2011; and by his son Brendan in 2023. He is survived by children Nuala, Gerald, Marie, Bernadette and Desmond; by nine grandchildren and by eight great-grandchildren.
Visitation will take place on Friday, June 5, 2026, at Northridge Funeral Home in Emo from 7:00-8:00 p.m. with prayers at 7:00. A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Emo, Ontario, at 11:00 a.m. Interment at Emo, Cemetery.
Arrangements entrusted to Northridge Funeral Home Ltd., Emo, Ontario.
