![Gwen's Wishnick cake for Edith, Wayland, Massachusetts, June 1968 [AKM]](https://neoscenes.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/1968/06/1000/19680609-SL-03307.jpg "Gwen's Wishnick cake for Edith, Wayland, Massachusetts, June 1968 [AKM]")
RapiDesign “Electroneer” No. 31
Alfred Kedy MacKenzie 1915 – 2015
![portrait, Alfred, Framingham, Massachusetts, November 1968 [by C. Hopkins]](https://neoscenes.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/1000/20150711-1968-27-21p.jpg "portrait, Alfred, Framingham, Massachusetts, November 1968 [by C. Hopkins]")
Well, Al makes it to the century mark, and decides it’s time to go. Hard to believe he was born in the opening months of WWI. One of a stubborn and somewhat obstinate crew, he is the last of the Scottish-Canadian side of the family, clan MacKenzie. Guess I’ll have to carry on the attitude.
Alfred Kedy MacKenzie, 100, of Prescott passed away 10 July 2015. Al was born 27 May 1915 in Melville, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Al attended Mechanic Arts High School in Boston, MA, and graduated from Northeastern University in Boston in 1939 with a degree in chemical engineering. Subsequently, Al was employed as a lab assistant with Weymouth Heights Art & Leather near Boston from 1939-1943; as a company chemist at Bemis Associates of Watertown, MA, from 1943-1945; as a chemical engineer with Dr. Gustavus J. Esselen of Boston, from 1945-1956; and as a chemical engineer with Dennison Manufacturing of Framingham, MA, from 1956-1983. He was issued several US Patents, among them: #3359945; #27260; #3682542; and #3733127.
Al married the former Edith Bates of Boston in 1944. Upon his retirement in 1983, Al and Edith moved to Prescott. Al was a member of Park Street Church in Boston from 1927-1983, where he was active in Christian Endeavor and the Fellowship. Since 1983, he had been a member of Prescott Heights Baptist Church/The Heights Church of Prescott. He was active in the missions programs of both congregations. He also won several prizes as an avid amateur photographer, spending his free time and post-retirement life camping and hiking with Edith in the mountains of New England and the West, with his favorite spots being Mount Katahdin and Acadia National Park, both in Maine.
Al was preceded in death by Edith in February, 2002, and is survived by his sister-in-law and 15 nephews and nieces.
A memorial service will be held in Building H-1 at The Heights Church, 2121 Larry Caldwell Drive in Prescott, at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, 08 August 2015. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to New Tribes Mission, PO Box 8010, Sanford, FL 32772-8010 for the specified ministry of Jonathan and Susan Kopf.
grandaddy
Helping Uncle Al get his image archive in order and safely backed-up. Seeing histories of people. Many of them gone. They were once lively teens, twenty-somethings, young parents, in the late 1930’s and 40’s. Wondering how it was that he was using German (Agfa) films well into the 1940’s even during the war. Here’s gran-daddy, John Malcolm Mackenzie, at the Somerville house in 1938. The particular quality of the hand-developed film with very high silver content gives the images a special luminosity even in the digital scanned versions. Contact printing these negatives on Azo #1 paper would be quite nice. But Kodak no longer manufactures that paper, or anything else, for that matter. Time passes.
Edith Bates MacKenzie 1924 – 2002
Aunt Edie passes away this morning at 10:05. She was suffering a lot in the last months, bed-ridden, since she fell and broke her hip in late last summer. She entered the Kingdom that she so faithfully kept her eyes upon during her life. She was an inspiration to many in my extended family, especially the kids. She took great pains to give each and every one maximum attention while at the same time she whipped up incredible and delicious meals. The contents of her toy closet were known to all of us. She will be laid to rest on Antelope Hill near Prescott Valley. She has passed through the hall of brightness and entered into the realm of Light. Give thanks, Jah, Rastafari. There is a small lake with flowers, water lilies, brilliant white and pink. Clouds drift in reflection in the sky, dissipate slowly, melting into the blue-white. there is no sun, but only Light suffused everywhere, coming from all. She is restored.
Crescent moon, passed by Saturn, leaping ahead, waxing.
Mrs. Edith Bates MacKenzie, 77; of Prescott Heights went to be with the Lord on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002, from the Prescott Samaritan Village in Prescott.
She is survived by Alfred, her loving husband of 57 years; by her younger sister, Gladys Plotner, of Tucson; 15 nieces and nephews, 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She will be mourned by many friends and their children, including missionary friends.
Edith was born in Philadelphia on June 7, 1924, to William and Florence Bates. When she was a toddler, her parents took her to the Tanzania region of Africa for a nine-year stint of missionary work. The family returned to Philadelphia in 1936 and moved to Boston in 1940, where she met her husband-to-be. After finishing high school in Boston, she attended Wheaton College in Illinois.
Edith married Alfred MacKenzie on June 22, 1944. The next 39 years were spent in homemaking and numerous missions-oriented activities at downtown Boston’s Park Street Church. At vacation times and many weekends, the targets were the mountains of New Hampshire, Maine and Mount Desert Island with its rocky seacoast. On special occasions, trips were made to the canyons and mountains of the West. Edith has climbed both Longs Peak and Mt. Elbert.
When retirement time came, the family moved to Prescott. Edith and her husband spent time camping, photographing and exploring the geological beauties of the West. In between times they were active members of the Prescott Heights Church.
Graveside services will be held at the Redwood Memorial Gardens on Saturday, March 2, at 2 PM. In lieu of flowers, it is suggested that gifts be made to the Prescott Heights Church Building Fund, 700 Rosser St., Prescott AZ 86301. Memory Chapel assisted the family with the arrangements.
portrait, Edith, Lance, and Eva
![portrait, Edith, Lance, and Eva, New York City, New York, May 1951 [AKM]](https://neoscenes.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/1951/05/1000/19510525-SL-00977p.jpg "portrait, Edith, Lance, and Eva, New York City, New York, May 1951 [AKM]")
portrait, Edith and Gladys
![portrait, Edith and Gladys, Boston, Massachusetts, December 1946 [AKM]](https://neoscenes.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/1946/12/1000/19461220-SL-00600p.jpg "portrait, Edith and Gladys, Boston, Massachusetts, December 1946 [AKM]")
portrait, Gleason Archer and family
![portrait, Gleason and Virginia Archer and sons, Boston, Massachusetts, August 1943 [AKM]](https://neoscenes.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/1943/08/1000/19430801-SL-00194p.jpg "portrait, Gleason and Virginia Archer and sons, Boston, Massachusetts, August 1943 [AKM]")
Down the road
April 9, 1940: Down the road, past the Winchester pumping station, sped three bicyclists. Their black and chromium mounts flashed in the warm afternoon sunlight. Brakes suddenly squealed as they slowed to a halt and looked about with searching eyes.
“There they are!” cried the leader, and he pointed to the distant hilltop. Soon they caught up with the weary rearguard and the long chase was over. Thus your scribe joined the C.E. [Christian Endeavor of Park Street Church] bicycling party after trailing them by hearsay three-quarters of the way around the Spot Pond Reservation.
Apparently by special dispensation, Spring had appeared for this party. The day was so warm and friendly that even Peggy Heinrich enjoyed the ride in spite of her exertions. The single casualty, Isabelle MacLeod, got that way by pulling the handle off of her bicycle and biting the dust. On the way we observed that Spot Pond possessed many delightful Spots. Paul showed his energetic nature by refusing to walk up the hills.
When it was all over, Gleason and Virginia appeared to help us … eat. Stewart and Ruth stopped by in their chariot to gloat over weary friends but withdrew, baffled by our contented appearance. Lillian made the hot drink; it looked like dark brown mud and tasted like delicious coffee.
portrait, Jack balancing Olga overhead
![portrait, Jack balancing Olga overhead, Charles River Beach, Boston, Massachusetts, August 1937 [AKM]](https://neoscenes.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/1937/08/1000/19370814-03-01p.jpg "portrait, Jack balancing Olga overhead, Charles River Beach, Boston, Massachusetts, August 1937 [AKM]")
portrait, Dorothy
![portrait, Dorothy, Charles River Beach, Boston, Massachusetts, August 1937 [AKM]](https://neoscenes.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/1937/08/1000/19370814-03-02p.jpg "portrait, Dorothy, Charles River Beach, Boston, Massachusetts, August 1937 [AKM]")
portrait, Jack hiding behind Helen, and Jane
![portrait, Jack hiding behind Helen, and Jane, Charles River Beach, Boston, Massachusetts, July 1937 [AKM]](https://neoscenes.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/1937/07/1000/19370724-M-02p.jpg "portrait, Jack hiding behind Helen, and Jane, Charles River Beach, Boston, Massachusetts, July 1937 [AKM]")
The Positions of the Particle at a Given Time
![The Positions of the Particle at a Given Time, April 1937 [AKM]](https://neoscenes.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/1937/04/1000/19370401-akm-math-paper-18.jpg "The Positions of the Particle at a Given Time, April 1937 [AKM]")
portrait, Mary and Uncle Moyle
![portrait, Mary and Uncle Moyle, Chickatawbut Fire Tower, Massachusetts, November 1936 [AKM]](https://neoscenes.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/1936/10/1000/19361025-H-03p.jpg "portrait, Mary and Uncle Moyle, Chickatawbut Fire Tower, Massachusetts, November 1936 [AKM]")
Mt. Katahdin trip, July 1936
From the archive: First Mt. Katahdin trip, July 18-24, 1936, by Alfred MacKenzie (neoscenes’ maternal uncle)
