Obituary of Roderic N. MacDonald

Captain Roderic N. MacDonald, Jr. Roderic N. MacDonald, Jr., of Duxbury, passed away peacefully on April 7, 2014 at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. He was born on June 16, 1925 in Brookline, MA to the late Roderic N. MacDonald, Sr. and Eleanor Stearns Young MacDonald. He was preceded in death by his wife Barbara (Dearborn) MacDonald and his sister Elizabeth Abbott MacDonald. Rod attended Dexter School for Boys and Milton Academy. He spent his childhood summers with his grandparents, the late William Hill Young and Elizabeth Abbott Stearns Young, at 58 King Caesar Road in Duxbury. Rod and his family moved permanently to Duxbury shortly before he enlisted in WWII. He joined the US Coast Guard serving from 1943 to 1946 aboard the USS New Bedford and USS Grand Island. After the war, Rod completed coursework at Boston University Fine Arts Program. His wildlife drawings of the Duxbury wetlands were featured in Wildlife Conservation Incorporated and Ducks Unlimited publications. Rod worked with the Forestry Division of Duxbury Fire Dept., as a Constable and Neighborhood Crime Watch section leader with the Duxbury Police Dept., a first class diver with the Hunter Company Search and Recovery, and as a commercial lobsterman on his boat "The Hunter". He was a member of the American Legion Post 223 for 66 years. He was a lifetime member of the Coast Guard Combat Veterans Assoc., the United States Navel Institute, the NRA Golden Eagles, Ducks Unlimited and The Cousteau Society. Rod was a member of New Covenant Fellowship Church of Duxbury where he served as greeter and church photographer. Rod was a committed Christian and stepped forward whenever there was a need for help. He is survived by his daughter Barbara Stearns MacDonald McCarthy, his son Roderic Young MacDonald and adopted family Sharon Brooks and Maxwell Brooks Rapier of Duxbury. The family would like to thank the Duxbury Fire Dept. for their service to Roderic when he was ill. A Graveside Service will be held on Friday May 23 at 12:00 noon at Mayflower Cemetery, Duxbury. Memorial donations may be made online to: www.ducks.org/tributes/RodericMacDonald.