Katherine Louise “Kay” MacDonald, 75, long-time Oak Harbor resident, diedat Homeplace Special Care Center in Oak Harbor on Dec. 31, 2008, following a lengthy illness.
Mrs. MacDonald was born in Wilmington, Calif., on Aug. 9, 1933 to William and Euphemia MacDonald. She graduated from high school in Wilmington and went to work for the Juvenile Court System in Long Beach, Calif.
Following this, she was employed as a secretary for Hughes Aircraft, where she worked in the office of Howard Hughes’ personal assistant.
Kay was married to Charles David Gray. He preceded her in death in 1967. She later married Murdoch “Scotty” MacDonald on June 14, 1975. The couple lived in San Marcos, Calif., before moving to Oak Harbor in 1986.
In 1991, they moved to Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. In 1998, they moved to Mount Clemens, Mich., until 2000, when they returned to Oak Harbor.
Kay had been a member of St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic Church in Wilmington and then St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in Oak Harbor. She was an administrative assistant in the Financial Office at Skagit Valley College Whidbey Island Campus for several years. Kay loved music, particularly of the Celtic variety. She also enjoyed sewing.
Kay is survived by her husband, Murdoch “Scotty” MacDonald, at home in Oak Harbor; by her six children: David, Patricia, Daniel, Susan, William and Joann, and their families; by Scotty’s six children, Gerald, Ronald, Thomas, Patricia, Paula and Andrew, and their families; four sisters, Anne, Sheila, Janette and Alexandra; one brother, Hugh; also, numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives. In addition to her first husband, she was also preceded in death by two sisters, Mary and Margaret, and a brother Angus.
A Vigil Service will take place Thursday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church. A Funeral Mass will be Friday, Jan. 9, at 9 a.m. at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church. A cousin of Kay’s, the Rev. William MacDonald of Vancouver, B.C., will be the Celebrant.
Private inurnment will take place at a later date at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent.
Memorials are suggested to the following organizations: the Alzheimer’s Association of Washington, P.O. Box 4101, Bellingham, WA 98227, or to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38195. Family and friends are encouraged to sign the online guest register by going to www.whidbeymemorial.com. Arrangements are with the assistance of Whidbey Memorial Funeral and Cremation Service, Oak Harbor.
