Byron Aloysius McDonald

Byron Aloysius McDonald, born October 30, 1920, passed away while in hospice care in his home in Seal Beach on February 1, 2016. Born to parents James Hickman and Theresa (Pittmann) and raised in Pueblo, Colorado, Byron, or “Mac” as he was nicknamed, he attended Pueblo Central High and the University Colorado at Boulder. Just as the US entered WWII, he was an engineering student enrolled in Civilian Pilot Training, and began his war work at the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington, D.C. After marrying Phyllis Selma Zimmerly, he transferred to the Naval Air Missile Test Center (NAMTC) at Point Mugu, California, where at age 26, he became senior civilian engineer. By the time he built a house in the Ojai Valley, the NAMTC had moved from nothing to the most advanced testing laboratory on the west coast. Byron moved his family several times, from Whittier to Encino to San Bernardino, as his work for the aerospace industry took him from Rocketdyne to Hughes Aircraft and air-to-air Falcon missiles, to the Minuteman Missile Program at Space Technology Labs, soon renamed TRW. When TRW branched out in to non-weapon systems, Systems Analyst Byron moved his family to New England, working with TRW’s Medical Regional Program and the University of Vermont. He freelanced, wrote a book on planning, and developed a methane gas digester and a hydroponic garden. After his wife’s death, he spent two years attending seminary and then moved to California to work for Stanford University. One of his final assignments at Stanford was to be the guy who had to condemn buildings after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. He lived on a boat for several years before his retirement in Seal Beach, where he continued to play a mean game of tennis, three times a week, right up until his 93rd birthday. He is survived by his children, Barry (Barbara) McDonald of Vergennes, Vermont; Georgianna (Louis) Boardman of Sharon, Vermont; Jeffrey (Susan) McDonald of Charlotte, Vermont; Matthew McDonald of Seal Beach, California; and James McDonald of Rutland, Vermont; granddaughters, Christen (Roland) Bernier, Eustacia (Kevin) Carleton, and Nina McDonald; grandsons, Jesse (Lisa) Boardman, Tyler McDonald, and Ethan McDonald; great-grandchildren, Raena, Adrianna, Shannon, Christina, Hailey, Megan, Kiely, Jackson and Charlene Rose; great-great grandchildren, Joel and Kayden; and brother, William (Patricia) McDonald. He is also survived by many other nieces, nephews and cousins. Byron was preceded in death by his parents; wife; brothers, James, John and Richard; and great-grandson Stephen. Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 1, 2016, at the All Souls Mortuary, 4400 Cherry Avenue, Long Beach, California, 90807. Burial ceremony will follow at the All Souls cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the Orange County Rescue Mission, https://www.rescuemission.org/. The family would like to thank the Seal Beach Fire Department, the 24-hour nursing team at the Leisure World Health Care Center, the tireless team at Companion Hospice, caregiver J.C. Castro and the dedicated staff of the Mae Morgan Agency, and neighbors Tanny deSmit, Marcia and George Moriarty, Sandy Young, Debbie and Manny Cienega, and Eve Dinsmore, for their excellent care and friendship.