Obituary of Bud McDonald

Thomas ‘Bud’ McDonald, Jr., was born May 14, 1926 to Thomas and Essie (Nelson) McDonald in Hermantown. He grew up during the Great Depression in a family of ten children and in 1944 was one of the earlier graduates of the newly established Hermantown High School. He excelled athletically there at both football and basketball and after graduation he joined the Navy near the end of World War II and was sent to Japan. That turned out to be all the exotic travel Bud would ever need. On August 6, 1949, at the age of 23, he married 19-year-old Lillian Hedlund of Munger and together they raised five children and shared 67 loving years before Lillian’s death in 2017.

Bud had a thirty-year career on the railroad, starting out as a fireman on the Northern Pacific and eventually working as an engineer on the Burlington Northern. He may be more famous however, among those who knew him well, for his many entrepreneurial ventures. As a boy he trapped weasels and sold their skins. Bud was in the Christmas tree business most of his life. He even had a stint as a bartender at the Duluth Athletic Club. Some of his endeavors took up a lot of real estate; gas station, golf driving range, duplex, triplex, laundromat/ice cream shop, resort, and motel. None panned out quite as envisioned. Most plans lost their way between the drawing board and the bank, but all paid dividends rich in adventure. What they lacked in profit, they made up for in memories that a dollar could never buy. ‘Hope sprang eternal’ in the heart of Bud McDonald.

In retirement Bud enjoyed wintering in the sunny Southwest with Lillian. Occasionally he found his way to the casino, where his eternally hopeful heart served him less well. A big chunk of his life was claimed by terrain just off the golf course. Searching for golf balls was an addiction that eventually filled a garage and from which he never suffered withdrawal. If there is a highway through Bud’s life, it would be sports. As a young boy he listened to Notre Dame football on the radio and was still strategizing for the Minnesota Twins at age 97. He loved sports and the newspapers that brought him the details. If there's no sports page in heaven, he may be back. He had a passion for golf and, with the exception of about half of his shots, it's a sport he enjoyed for over 60 years. Talking about golf gave him almost as much pleasure as the game itself. Bud found analogies in the words of his favorite sportswriters that play well in life. He left us with the Twins in first place, but he had his doubts; a skeptic in a world that sometimes demands it.

Thomas ‘Bud’ McDonald, 97, died peacefully Wednesday, July 26, 2023 in Duluth, Minnesota. His family is grateful for the compassionate care and comfort that the staff at Heritage Haven and the Ecumen Hospice team gave him.

Bud was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian; two of their children, daughter Cathy and son Dennis McDonald; 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 with daughter-in-law Barbara Holisky of Portland, OR; sisters Joan Curry, Jean McDonald, and Jeanette Wick; brother-in-law Duane; sister-in-law Lila Hedlund and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Nephew Mark Wick's family blessed him with three surrogate grandchildren and a doctor. His loving sisters, Joan, Jean and Jeanette, brother-in law Duane, and niece Lisa were faithful visitors. Their attentive support was a valued source of companionship and solace to him in his final months. Never one for pretense in his long and varied life, he remained true to himself the whole way. Bud will be remembered with love and affection by all of his family and friends.