Richard Edward Macdonald

Richard Edward Macdonald, 79, of King George, VA passed away suddenly from cardiac arrest on Friday March 4, 2022. Born in Gary, IN, the youngest of 3 children. As a young boy, the family moved to Tucson, AZ. In his youth, Richard enjoyed hunting desert wildlife, playing baseball, throwing shotput & discuss and playing football. Upon high school graduation, Richard accepted an appointment to the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, having never seen the ocean, never been on an airplane & barely knowing how to swim. His parents did not finish high school, but they worked hard to provide the basics for their family. The only way for Richard to afford any college education was through the military. Richard struggled through all the rules & restrictions of the Academy, but not the academics. He eventually learned to swim. Graduating in 1964, he was commissioned to be an officer, performing search & rescue missions on a Coast Guard Cutter boat out of Morehead City, NC. His severe seasickness led him to become a search & rescue pilot, flying a variety of airplanes & helicopters. His most notorious & complex rescue operation was Eastern Airlines flight 401 in 1972 that crashed in the Everglades; 77 passengers were rescued. This earned Richard & the entire Miami Air Station a Commendation from the Coast Guard Commandant. During his 24 years of military service, Richard earned his MBA, a Master’s in aerospace engineering & completed his coursework plus most of his PhD research from Purdue. Achieving the rank of Commander, he retired from military service to work in airborne radar for Aerospace Industries Assoc, Naval Research Lab & SETA in Washington, DC, fully retiring with his wife, Ann, in 2002 to “River House”, their dream house they built on the Potomac River in King George, VA.  His passions included jet skiing in the summer, snow skiing in the winter & taking long vacations with his wife Ann to explore a variety of countries, often on river boat cruises. He & Ann were very devoted members of Peace Lutheran Church, helping to fundraise for & physically build their new church. Of all the titles, awards & advanced degrees Richard earned over his nearly 80 years, “Grandpa” was the title he most cherished. He loved spending time with his 7 grandchildren, playing on the river & snow skiing in the mountains of WV, staying up to date and involved in their lives. In Richard’s own words, “The grandkids have made retirement most enjoyable for Grandma and me.” He encouraged his family & friends to go after their goals – his belief in those he kept close to him was a constant.

Richard came from such humble beginnings & appreciated all the blessings God sent his way, often getting choked up emotionally at how blessed he was, reminding his dinner guests in a toast or in his emails that “Life is Good”. Bravo Zulu Commander Macdonald. Go rest high on that mountain, your work on earth is done. Richard was joyfully reunited in Heaven with his parents Julia (Kowal) and Leslie Edward Macdonald and his older sister Patricia (Macdonald) Frost. He is survived by his loving wife of 30 years, Ann (Bowen) Macdonald, his older sister Eleanore (Macdonald) Foran, his son Lee (April) Macdonald of Roswell, GA his daughter Mary (Sam) Jones of Mechanicsville, VA and his 7 grandchildren: Christopher, Veronica, Victoria & Ethan Macdonald and Courtney, Jessica & Wyatt Jones. He is also survived by his former wife and mother to his children Patricia (Thompson) Grizzard as well as nieces, nephews & many cherished friends.

A celebration of Richard’s life will be Saturday April 2, 2022. Visitation at 11:00am with the service starting at 12:00 Noon at Peace Lutheran Church in King George, VA. Reception immediately following. Full military honors interment will be at a future date at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Richard Macdonald’s name to Peace Lutheran Church; 5590 Kings Hwy, King George, VA 22485.