Nancy Jane McDonald

Published 9:02 am Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Dec. 22, 1941 – Aug. 17, 2018

Nancy Jane McDonald passed away peacefully Friday, August 17th, with family at her bedside in Bend, Oregon.

Nancy was a beloved wife, mother and grandmother who cared deeply about family and the world we inhabit. Her devotion to just causes, kindness, and determination never wavered despite a decades- long illness.

Raised in Cleveland, Ohio with her older siblings, Bob and Carol, Nancys fondest memories included playing with her dogs, Mr. Chips, Spunky, and later, Whoopsie. As an adolescent she moved to North Hollywood, California, where she developed a love for film – later many rainy Seattle Sundays were spent beneath a pile of blankets watching the classics with her children. Her favorite, The Sound of Music, was an annual tradition.

She attended UCLA and worked as a flight attendant at Pan American World Airways, where she would meet her future husband, Bruce. Married in 1964, the couple grew ever closer as the years wore on and were inseparable through her last days.

Bruces work would take the growing family from Seattle to Detroit and eventually to the San Francisco Bay Area. Nancy worked for more than a decade in customer service at Nordstrom, helping put her four children through college. The pair retired to Central Oregon in 1999, and were eventually joined by all of their children and grandchildren.

Nancy had many hobbies, including gardening, playing the piano, and travel. She and Bruce started the day with the newspaper and coffee, would talk current events, and plan their daily meals. They stayed busy attending their grandkids many sporting events and performances.

Her family appreciates the incredible care she received at the St. Charles Cancer Center. She is preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Emma Gardner; and survived by her husband, Bruce, her brother, Robert and sister-in-law Christina, and sister, Carol; her children, Carrie, Robert, Douglas, and Jeffrey; her loving grandchildren, Julia, Michael, Caroline, Joseph, Isobel, Clara, Laney, Graham, and Jacob; nieces Lori, Tari, and Wendy, nephew Scott; daughters-in-law, Catherine and Kelly, and son-in-law, Mark. Nancy will be missed by all.