Al J. McDonald, 16 Apr 1922 - 17 Apr 2017

MCDONALD, MCMAHON, MALLOY, ROONEY, WALZ, LABRECQUE, BEELNER, ELLIOTT, GORSH, TRUITT, PAULSEN, ROLFES, BOCK, CONGER, PUTNEY, MASCHER, WRIGHT, WIEGAND, KALB, BELL, TAYLOR, KRALL, HYNES, ROESTENBERG, DUBEN, OLBERDING

Posted By: Sandy Ficken (email)
Date: 4/25/2017 at 15:44:39

Al J. McDonald, 95, died peacefully Monday, April 17, 2017, at home surrounded by his family.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday, April 21, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church with Father Ed Fitzpatrick officiating. Visitation will be Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, Iowa City, where a rosary will be recited at 2 p.m. Graveside committal with military honors will be at 2 p.m. Friday at St. Joseph's Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the University of Iowa Foundation for Macular Degeneration Research.

Al was born April 16, 1922, in North English, the son of John M. and Marie McMahon McDonald. He attended school in Parnell, where he graduated from high school. Al proudly served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. On April 6, 1943, he married Mary Malloy at St. Michael's Church in Holbrook.

Al owned and operated McDonald Optical, which he founded on June 4, 1956.

Al was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

Survivors include 11 children, 40 grandchildren and 59 great-grandchildren, including Tom and his wife, Mary, their children, Michelle and her husband, Rick Rooney; Matt and his wife, Julie, and Megan and her husband, Chris; Jim and his wife, Ada, and their children, Julie and her husband, Chad Walz, and Tim and his wife, Amanda; Terry and his wife, Terry, and their children, T.J., Kate and her husband, Joe LaBrecque, Alex, Marie "Sweetie" and her husband, Pete Beelner, and their children, Jeano Elliott, John Beelner, Joe and his wife, Shannon Beelner, and Jacquie and her husband, Matt Gorsh; Don and his wife, Candy, and their children, Vanessa, Hilarie and her husband, Aaron Truitt, and McKenzie and her husband, Luke Paulsen; Greg and his wife, Audrey, and their children, Adam and Brady; Randy and his wife, Mary, and their children, Alicia and her husband, Jacob Rolfes, and Chandra and her husband, Jason Bock; Mary "Dolly" McDonald and her children, Molly and her husband, Karl Conger, Holly and her husband, Curran Putney, and Andrew T. Mascher; Marty and his wife, Lisa, and their children, Timothy, Colin, Caleb and Mary; Milissa and her husband, Ted Wright, and their children, Lindsay and her husband, Darrell Wiegand, Tim and his wife, Trisha Kalb, Thomas Kalb, and Treyton and his wife. Lacey Kalb; and Molly and her husband, Kevin Bell, and their children, Madison and her husband, Chris Taylor, Macy and her husband, Ryan Krall, and Braxton, his daughter-in-law, Linda McDonald (wife of the late John McDonald) and their children, Kim and her husband, Jim Hynes, Doug and his wife, Phyllis Roestenberg, Kelly and her husband, Mark Duben, Reid and his wife, Erin, Ryan and his wife, Lindsay, Marty, and Devon and her husband, Nic Olberding.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Mary, in 2016; sons, John and Tim, and twin infant sons; one great-grandson, Silas Kalb; and three siblings.

Online condolences may be sent to www.lensingfuneral.com.

The Gazette, Posted on Thursday, 20 April 2017