Robert James "Mac" McDonald, 95

Robert James McDonald, 95, known as Mac, passed away on April 7, 2024, in Kalispell. Mac was born in Chicago, Illinois, to parents Colin and Ann, where he grew up with an older brother Jack and younger sister Juanita, and graduated from Saint Leo High School. He was a member of the football and swimming teams at Saint Leo.

Mac graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in forestry followed by a career in fire suppression with the U.S. Federal Forest Service. A career which began as a seasonal fire fighter on a hotshot crew and culminated as the Director of Aviation and Fire Management in the Pacific Northwest Region, and included positions as both a smokejumper and smokejumper foreman in Missoula, as well as the Redding, California, Smokejumper Base Manager. During Mac’s career with the Forest Service, he was involved in many important fire suppression developments which included the use of aerial attack and the Incident Command System in the state of California which integrated the response, command, and communication of federal, state, and local fire suppression agencies. After retiring from the Forest Service, Mac continued a career in fire suppression with the United Nations Food Agricultural Organization and then the Division of Emergency Management for the state of Arizona.

While a foreman at the Missoula, smokejumper base, Mac met his wife of 59 years, Marjorie, a nurse at St. Patrick’s Hospital. Mac and Marge raised a family of six children. Two girls and four boys. Mac and Marge built a cabin on Echo Lake in Bigfork, in the summer of 1967 which has been a source of joy for Mac and his family ever since.

Mac served in the Korean War in the U.S. Army’s 2nd Division where he received the Bronze Star and ascended to the rank of Sargent.

He is survived by six children, and nine grandchildren.

There will be a memorial mass held for Mac at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 11, followed by a rosary at 10:15 a.m. at St. Matthews Catholic Church in Kalispell.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to NW MT Veterans Food Pantry in Kalispell.