SPRUCE HEAD — Captain James L. McDonald, USCG (Ret) passed at Pen Bay Medical Center with his family at his side on the 4th of August, 2024. The date is of special significance because it is also the anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Coast Guard, an organization that both he, and his wife Jean, dedicated much of their lives to.

He was born October 25, 1936 in Augusta, Maine and raised in Hallowell, the son of Francis J. and Hazel (Bennet) McDonald. He spent his formative grade school and high school years in Hallowell and graduated Valedictorian in the Hallowell High Class of 1955. He liked to joke that with the small class size at Hallowell High, everyone was required to participate in sports or they couldn’t fill a roster. This was partially true but he was also a standout athlete, especially on the basketball court where he was a member of the starting squad that punched way above their weight in the early to mid-1950s.

He attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, graduating with a degree in Engineering and a Commission as Ensign. While at the Academy, he met the love of his life, Barbara Jean McCatherin (Jean). Jean took to the Coast Guard as quickly and enthusiastically as Jim and they both enjoyed a 30-year career in the Service. This included duty stations first in Portland, Maine but subsequently in Provincetown, Massachusetts; Kodiak, Alaska; New London, Connecticut; the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterrey, California (where he earned a Master Degree in Systems Analysis); New York, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; and London, England.

During this stretch, Jim and Jean acquired some baggage – namely five children. Although moving about the U.S. (and Europe) was part and parcel of being a Coast Guard officer, the family maintained a cottage in Spruce Head, Maine – a place they returned to frequently and regarded as their touchstone. He completed his 30-year Coast Guard career in 1989 obtaining the rank of Captain. While he moved on to other professional endeavors, he never lost his love for the Service and the many “shipmates” he served with over the years.

His post-USCG professional career included stints with Exxon-Mobil, Regional Manager for the Marine Spill Response Company, and Star Clipper Cruise Lines. Throughout his accomplished professional life, he was recognized for his hard work, integrity, and his concern for the people around him. This was entirely consistent with the way he lived his life outside the workplace. He was a man of great integrity but also a man who lived
life with tremendous love and joy.

He fully retired in 1998 to Coral Gables, Florida where he and Jean lived for many years. In 2016, he made the move back to the Maine coast and his cottage by the sea where he was close to his extended family, the many friends he had in the State, and the numerous visitors to “McDonald Ledges”.

He is survived by his five children, James (Althea) McDonald Jr. of Cary, North Carolina, Julie Anne (Ross) McDonald of Santa Barbara, California, Jeffrey McDonald of Santa Barbara, California, Jane (Susan Andrews) Okon of Montara, California, and John (Kelly) McDonald of Houston, Texas. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Audrey, Katie, Jenni, Nicole, Joanna, and Johnny as well as three great grandchildren.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit Monday, August 12, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock St., Rockland.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation at ww.pulmonaryfibrosis.org, or 230 East Ohio St., Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60611.

To share a memory or story with Jim’s family, please visit their online Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com