Obituary of Angus L. McDonald

Angus Lee McDonald was dragged from life fighting with all the courage, dignity, and humor that were displayed throughout his nearly eight year battle with Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, cancers, and other assorted ailments. He died on December 13, 2015 surrounded by his family knowing that he was loved and that he will be missed. Angus was born in Rochester, New York on August 2, 1934 to James and Feikje McDonald. The youngest of eight children, Angus lived in Rochester until, at age 14, he was sent to the George Junior Republic in Freeville New York, where he had the great fortune to be assigned to the house of "Ma" and "Pappy" Millet, his house parents who guided him to the path that led from being a chronic runaway to the presidency of the GJR, to the Board of Directors of what has become the William George Agency. Upon graduation from the "Republic" Angus spent three years in the military, first with the Seabees, and then with the army where he began his life as a civil engineer. After his honorable discharge, Angus took a job with Lane Construction building highways and bridges around upstate New York.While working on a bridge in Schuylerville, New York, Angus swept Barbara Anne Walsh off her feet, married her and brought her with him to Fort Wayne, Indiana where he earned his degree in civil engineering and started his family. Upon graduation Angus resumed working on highways and bridges as a construction engineer until bringing his family to Connecticut in 1964 to work for Lifetime Homes, and in 1966 started his own business, "Angus McDonald, Land Survey Consultant," which grew to become "Angus McDonald/Gary Sharpe and Associates," from where he retired in 2006. After mourning the loss of Barbara in 1982, Kismet (and land use development) brought Mary Jane Machnik Suisman into his life and they soon joined their families and he was blessed with 30 more years of love and life. First and foremost, Angus was fiercely proud of his family and loved knowing that the McDonald/Suisman clan had grown to the point that he was a great-grandfather. Active all of his life, Angus enjoyed travel, skiing and sailing most of all, so much so that he was skiing at Mount Snow eight months after his lung transplant, sailing the waters of New England until he put "Surveyor" away for the winter this past September, and cruising through Europe on the rivers Rhein and Danube in October. Angus believed that volunteerism is a vital ingredient of society, and spent much of his "spare" time working for individual and civic organizations. Beginning in 1970 as the adult liason with "Sing-Out Saybrook," a local branch of Up with People," he has mentored young people and volunteered countless hours with the Connecticut Association of Land Surveyors, Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce, the Old Saybrook Rotary Club, and driving for Meals on Wheels and FISH. Angus is survived by his wife Mary McDonald, children Angus McDonald Jr (Andrea), Kimberly Kanabis (Robert), Robert McDonald (Maureen), Nicole Dolan (Tom), Jarred Suisman (Elizabeth Allen), and Tony Suisman (Katie), grandchildren Mara Lowry (Xander), Riley, Jeremy, Madelyn, and Macken Angus McDonald, Zach and Hanna Dolan, Hailey and Natalie Suisman, and Georgia Allen, great-grandchildren Roosevelt and Maple Lowry, his sister Dorothy Thompson and hundreds of nieces and nephews. His family is eternally grateful to Duke Pulminary Transplant Clinic and Dr. Paul Noble for their continued efforts in the study and procedure of lung transplants and the staff at floor 9 of the Smilow Cancer Center at Yale New Haven Hospital for their gentle care. A celebration of Angus' life will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, December 18th at the Saybrook Point Inn, burial will be private. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation at pulminaryfibrosis.org or to the Lung Transplant Foundation. To share a memory of Angus or send a condolence to his family, please visit www.rwwfh.com. Arrangements by Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, Centerbrook.