A pictures of Dad on His Memorial Service Eve! An appreciation!

Dear Family of Love,

I wanted to show you pictures of Dad prior to his memorial Service. Tonight we celebrate our lives and life. Life is an amazing thing. When you think of Dad being 91 when he died, that is a major accomplishment.

Dad was born in St. Helena California on March 7, 1923 to Leroy Fischer Macdonald Sr.  Here is a picture of my dad and his brother my Uncle James Reid Macdonald II. This picture was taken by Imogen Cunningham a noted photographer of her day.

When my Papa Macdonald couldn't hack the agriculture industry in the Napa Valley they moved to Berkeley California  Dad went to Garfield Junior High School, University High School and Cal Berkeley and was also an acolyte at All Soul's Berkeley. I have two of his crosses.  Here is Dad in Junior High. 

After graduating High School and attending Cal for a bit he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps

Here is a fun looking picture!

After Serving as as Sea Going Marine Dad tried again going back to the University of Oregon but that didn't suit him so he packed up and moved to San Francisco and applied for a job at Western Air Lines where he met my mother Louise Adela Searl. He lived at the Marine's Memorial Club prior to their marriage

The Marine Club became our home away from home when we would visit Granny and Papa Macdonald.

Mom and Dad were married on November 8, 1947 at the Historic Mission Inn in Riverside in the Friar's Chapel. 

 Mom and Dad

Dad and Uncle Reid

They moved to Portland to work for Western Airlines and then moved back to the San Francisco area where Dad worked in an olive packing cannery. They went on strike and Dad had to work in earnest to find work and found a position with Baker and Hamilton a wholesale hardware business. Dad became a Willy Loman type traveling salesman. 

Mom and Dad were blessed by the births of Stephen James Macdonald in 1949 and Margaret in 1951. They were born in San Francisco. Dad was given the Central Coast as part of his territory so the family of four moved to Santa Maria in 1951 shortly after Margaret (Margie) was born. Dad knew it was time to settle down into a more permanent job and he began work at Farmer's Hardware in Guadalupe which would become Guadalupe Hardware when Dad bought the business from the Bassi's

Not quite the whole family. From left ( Margie, Dad, Mom, Grandpa G.E. ,Stephen, Grandma Lorena, Uncle Jerry (Mom's Brother) Craig Searl (Mom's first Nephew), and Aunt Dodi Searl ( Mom's sis-in-law)

In 1954 and in 1959 Mom and Dad were again blessed by the births of John and Sara (Me) in Santa Maria  At Our Lady of Perpetual Help. 

The Family is Complete

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This was where all of  we six lived on Mill Street prior to our living on Claremont Place. The house that I have lived in for almost 54 years.

Dad was an official for college and high school athletics, he began playing golf at the Santa Maria Country club up until last year. He still went out for coffee and as he called it BS. He and Mom Traveled a lot and here are a few of their pix. and others

 Mom, the Sphinx, and the Pyramids

North to Canada and Alaska with Grandma Lorena, Dad, Mom, and me.

Dad's Ninetieth Birthday

 Our last Christmas together

Dad passed away into Eternal Joy and light on May 19, 2014 at Marian Medical Center with almost all of our family surrounding him. Tomorrow we will celebrate his life at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Santa Maria at 11:00 a.m.  Daddy- I will see you later but not too soon. I love you and appreciate all that you have done in the lives of our family, the business community in Guadalupe, your support of the Olympics, Guadalupe Buddhist Church, your golfing Buddies at the Santa Maria Country Club, and the many times you played badminton and volleyball at Hancock College with Sam Vokes, Nat Fast, Bob Kwok, and the Ng Brothers. Say hi to all of our departed loved ones who are in the Thin Places and send them our love and know that we feel your and their presence every day. I give God thanks for you and Mom and all that you did for our family every day that we were with you and are with you still. 

Give to the departed eternal rest;

Let light perpetual shine upon them

******

I'll Be Seeing You, Frank Sinatra

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Good Night Lovely Family! We will be back to our regular format tomorrow. I love you, You Matter, and You are family.

With love and a grateful heart for all that you do!

Love, joy,blessings, and prayers this night and always,

Sara