Francis Lee Macdonald
Obituary
Francis Lee MacDonald passed away on Jan. 12, 2022 in Walnut Creek, Calif., at the age of 83. Francis was born in Salinas, Calif., on May 8, 1938 to Agnes and Ralph MacDonald of Soledad, Calif. He graduated from Gonzales High School and Hartnell Junior College in Salinas. He married the love of his life, Patricia Ann Lackey, in August of 1959 and they remained the best of friends through 62 years of marriage, during which they enjoyed traveling to all seven continents and visiting their favorite places, such as Paris and London, several times.
Francis earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from San Jose State University and worked for C&H Sugar in Crockett, Calif., for 28 years before retiring in 1993. Finding that he had too much time on his hands, he became a substitute teacher for the Mt. Diablo Unified School District in math, computers, science, and Spanish. He also loved volunteering as one of the original Concord Police Department V.I.P.S (Volunteers in Police Service) for 13 years and was named the City's Volunteer of the Year in 2007. He had many hobbies that included earning his private pilot's license and flying his family to the Nut Tree and Columbia, Calif.; woodworking; and spending time with his family whom he loved tremendously.
Francis is survived by his beloved wife, Pat, of Concord, Calif.; son, David, and daughter-in-law, Helen MacDonald of Moorpark, Calif.; daughter, Karen, and son-in-law, Ken Randall, of San Ramon, Calif.; grandchildren, Lauren (Paul) Boranian of West Hills, Calif., Courtney Randall of Los Angeles, Calif., and Tyler Randall of Irvine, Calif.; great-grandchildren, Charlotte Rose and James Francis Boranian; sister, Shirley Piffero of Gonzales, Calif.; nieces, Janice Martin of Salinas, Debbie (Lee) Vinson of Kansas City, Mo., Carole (Elida) Piffero of Gonzales; and many grandnephews and grandnieces.
In remembrance of Francis's life, the family would love any memorial tributes be made in the form of charitable donations to the Parkinson's Foundation at www.parkinsons.org.
Published in Salinas Valley Tribune · January 19, 2022