Obituary of Thomas McDonald

Thomas ‘Bud’ McDonald Jr., 97, died peacefully Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at Heritage Haven in Duluth.

Bud was born May 14,1926, to Thomas and Essie (Nelson) McDonald of Hermantown. He was one of the earlier graduates of the new Hermantown High School in 1944, where he excelled athletically. He then joined the Navy and spent the end of World War II in Japan. In August of 1949, at the age of 23, he married Lillian Hedlund of Munger. Together they raised five children and shared 67 loving years before Lillian’s death in 2017. Bud had a 30-year career as an engineer for the Burlington Northern Railroad that never got in the way of his countless entrepreneurial endeavors. He was a lifelong sports fan and if there’s no sports page in heaven, he may be back. Golf was his passion and, with the exception of about half of his shots, it’s a sport he enjoyed for over 60 years. He went out with the Twins in first place, but he had his doubts; a skeptic in a world that sometimes demands it.

Bud was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian, daughter Cathy and son Dennis; brothers Myron, Dan and John and sisters Mary Jane, Judy and Joyce. He is survived by daughters Colleen and Jamie McDonald of Titusville, FL; son, Gary McDonald (Barbara Holisky) of Portland, OR; sisters Joan, Jean and Jeanette; brother-in-law Duane; sister-in-law Lila Hedlund and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Bud’s family is grateful for the compassionate care and comfort that the staff at Heritage Haven and the Ecumen Hospice team gave him in his final months.

Celebration of Life - Monday, August 7, at the Cremation Society of Minnesota in Duluth. Visitation 2:00 pm; Memorial Service 3:00 pm, followed by a reception.