Jerry W Mcdonald

Jerry “BigUn” McDonald passed away on December 23, 2021. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend. He was born July 20, 1956 to Fred and Flora McDonald in Cloverdale, California. Jerry grew up in Crescent City and was a graduate of Del Norte High School, Class of 1974. He attended Arizona State University for a short time but returned home to raise his son. He was also on the practice squad for the Oakland Raiders; he said he was the punching bag for Lyle Alzado. He worked at Miller Rellim. He came to Las Vegas in 1980 for vacation and never left. Jerry worked at The Orbit Inn and Marina Hotels as security. He also worked at the Silver Dollar Saloon as a bouncer. He owned and operated Thriftee Tow, Inc. until his retirement. Jerry enjoyed playing basketball and football. He was a Raiders fan, both Oakland and Las Vegas. He was a lifelong fan of drag racing and enjoyed several trips to National events with his racing buddy Gordie Bonin. He enjoyed doing Sudoku puzzles and watching the news channels for current events.

He married Margaret Mott in 1976 and is survived by their son, Jerry Jr. He has been married to Karen (Leonard) McDonald since 1987. His parents, brothers Robert, Sam, James and John, preceded Jerry in death. He is survived by his sister Gladys (David) Cory of Exeter, granddaughter Mariah of Arizona, mother-in-law Helen Leonard, brothers-in-law Richard and Randy Leonard of Las Vegas, sisters-in-law Jane Miller of Crescent City, Gail Stafford of Hamburg Arkansas, Rose Lawson and Sydney McDonald and many nieces, nephews, friends and his beloved fur babies.

Donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 12:30 PM. Saturday, February 26, 2022, at the Henderson Police Officers’ Association, 145 Panama Street, Henderson, NV 89015.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmeastern.com for the MCDONALD family.