William James McDonnell III

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Gail; daughter Julia (Michael) McDonnell-Johnson: daughter Mary Ann (Michael) DiMaria; son Samuel (Lareina) McDonnell; grandchildren Dylan, Mia, Claire, Jake, Shealon, and Leiralia. 

Born to William James McDonnell Jr and Pasqualina “Bessie” McDonnell in Haverhill Massachusetts, he was the eldest of five children– Robert (Sandi) McDonnell, Richard (Mary Eileen) McDonnell, Mary (Joe) Goldsmith and Peter (Wendy) McDonnell. 

William “Bill” knew he wanted to be a pharmacist at a very young age. He started his career at Roche Pharmacy in Haverhill, MA at the age of 16– first as a clerk and eventually as a pharmacist. He graduated from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, class of 1963. Most of his 50+ year career was spent as a pharmacist at Thrifty Drug Store, which later became Rite-Aid. He enjoyed working in the same locations for many years where he was known as a friendly, trustworthy, and warm pharmacist to the communities he served. His career at Thrifty Drug also paired well with his love of ice cream.

After graduating from college, William joined the US Air Force. He was a Second Lieutenant and served as Medical Administrative Officer stationed in Elmendorf, Alaska. His love of travel grew during this time, and he was able to visit many other places, including Hawaii, New Zealand, and Japan while he served. Eventually, his travels brought him to San Diego, CA, where he met and married his wife, Gail. Together Bill and Gail built their home and moved to Del Mar, CA in 1977– where they raised their family and lived since. 

He loved to travel and his favorite travel companion was Gail, but he also traveled with family and friends to destinations including Vietnam, Peru, Morocco, and many countries in Europe. By far his favorite place to visit was Plum Island, MA– a special place, [Text Wrapping Break]where he spent much of his childhood with his family. His greatest joy was time spent with his family, especially grandchildren, at Plum Island– at the beach, the basin, sitting on the porch of the cottage reading the newspaper or playing games and, of course, eating ice cream.

Besides traveling, he loved spending time outdoors. He enjoyed working in his garden, swimming, and biking. Other interests included painting/drawing, music, and cooking. His homemade biscotti was a holiday tradition we all looked forward to. Bill also loved to make jams in the summer; he enjoyed baking with his grandkids, and was known to make the occasional fresh pasta and ravioli. A devout Catholic, he believed in giving back. He regularly volunteered through Catholic Charities and spent many springs putting together hundreds of Easter Baskets for families in need.

Bill was a devoted husband and a loving father/father-in-law, grandfather, uncle and brother/brother-in-law. He was kind, humble, selfless, hard-working, and will be deeply missed by all who knew him..

A funeral mass will be held at St. James Catholic Church, 625 S. Nardo, Solana Beach, CA 92075, Friday, September 26 at 11:00am, followed by a graveside service at Miramar National Cemetery, 5795 Nobel Dr., San Diego, CA 92122, at 1:15pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer’s Association of San Diego, 3635 Ruffin Road, Ste 300, San Diego, CA 92123 alzsd.org or Glenner Center, glenner.org or charity of your choice would be appreciated.