On June 2nd, 1901, Dr. MacKay passed away due to throat cancer; his body was laid to rest at the Tamsui Foreign Cemetery, now at the corner of TamKang Senior High School. According to Dr. MacKay’s will, his family built a wall separating his grave from other foreigner’s grave; demonstrating his identification as Taiwanese.

Most of the burials inside the cemetery belong to Dr. MacKay’s family and students. Different from other tombstone designs, the obelisk belongs to Dr. MacKay. Practicing the Chinese custom of male-left-female-right, Mrs. MacKay (Tiu Chheng-mai or also known as Minnie MacKay) lies at the right side of her husband. Mr. and Mrs. George William MacKay *1 (Dr. MacKay’s son and his wife) lie at MacKay’s left. The surrounding graves belong to Dr. MacKay’s students and in-laws.

Mr. and Mrs. MacKay’s tombstones are positioned at the tip of their graves; each tombstone constitutes a three-layered plinth and a stele on top. The inscription on Dr. MacKay’s stele includes a short epitaph of his life and the date which he arrived in Taiwan. On top of the stele is a layer of abacus similar to the roof of a house and then an obelisk - creating a sense of beauty and solemness within the cemetery.

The front of the tombstone is inscribed in English and Romanized Hoklo (Taiwanese), the back of the tombstone is inscribed in Mandarin with a postscript indicating that the tombstone was erected by MacKay’s students. Judging from its quality, the tombstone belongs to Guanyinshan *2 stone; hard, blue-gray and carvings still visibly clear despite years of natural erosion. The graveyard was designed by Rev. William Gauld, succeeding Dr. MacKay, a person of prominence in the history of the Presbyterian Church in North Taiwan.

The graveyard is now under the management of TamKang Senior High School and is listed as a Level 3 historical site.

*1 Dr. George W. MacKay founded the TamKang Middle School (now TamKang Senior High School) in 1914.
*2 Mountain across Tamsui River from Tamsui.