McDonald, Dennis 1918-2010

MCDONALD, EDSON, SMITH

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - Volunteer (email)
Date: 4/3/2010 at 19:41:47

McDonald, Dennis

Home Town: San Marcos, California
Deceased Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Service: Saturday, April 10, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Address: Eden Cemetery
Hudson, South Dakota

　

Obituary: Dennis W. McDonald of San Marcos, California (formerly of Clear Lake, Iowa) passed away on March 9, 2010, as a result of heart failure and prostate cancer. He was 91.

Dennis Wayne McDonald was born in Hartington, Nebraska on May 5, 1918, the son of Charles R. McDonald and Amy R. Edson. He spent his childhood in Hartington and nearby Hawarden, Iowa, graduating from Hawarden High School. It was in the Hawarden area, where Dennis met his lifetime sweetheart, Neva Shirley Smith, daughter of Ross Smith and Myrtle Miner of Hudson, SD. Dennis and Neva were married in 1939, and they celebrated their 70th anniversary last year.

Dennis worked for the Williams Brothers (Great Lakes) Pipeline Company for nearly 40 years. Den and Neva moved to Clear Lake, IA in 1950 where they lived as longtime residents until last year, when they relocated to California to be closer to family. Dennis was an electrical maintenance technician for the Pipeline. Being very knowledgeable in electronics, one of Dennis’s long time hobbies and sidelines was repairing radios and TVs for friends around Clear Lake.

Dennis was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was a generous and friendly man, had a good sense of humor, and would give anyone the shirt off his back. One of his later hobbies was collection and restoration of Edison cylinder record players. Dennis and Neva enjoyed traveling the country in their motor home after Dennis retired in 1983. Dennis especially enjoyed traveling to Colorado and California frequently to spend time with family. Dennis was a veteran of WW II, serving in the Navy in the South Pacific.

Dennis is survived by his wife, Neva, and his 3 children, Larry R. McDonald (Maria) of San Marcos, CA, Gary W. McDonald (Georgia) of Santa Ana, CA and Connie McDonald (Steve Matous) of Boulder, CO. He also leaves 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be sent to the Hospice Foundation of America.
Graveside committal service will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, April 10, 2010 at the Eden Cemetery at Hudson, South Dakota. The Rev. Barb Joy of the United Methodist Church in Hawarden will officiate. A luncheon will follow at the United Methodist Church in Hawarden.
The Porter Funeral Home in Hawarden is assisting with local arrangements.
Source: Porter Funeral Home obit.