Mary Kathleen McDonald

Mary Kathleen Whalen McDonald, 81, of San Diego, California, passed away on October 24th after a brief fight with pneumonia. She was born on July 20th, 1944, in San Francisco to Joseph and Kathleen Whalen who are now with her in heaven, along with her beloved sister Jeannie.

Born in San Francisco, Mary moved to San Diego at an early age. She attended St. Patrick’s Elementary School, later graduating from Our Lady of Peace High School in 1962. Armed with a passion for pediatrics, she went on to St. Joseph’s nursing school where she spent three of her happiest years. Upon graduating in 1965, she joined the Army where she was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas as a pediatric nurse. She was married in the Old Mission here in San Diego in August 1969 and continued as a pediatric nurse until starting a family consisting of her sons Joseph, born in 1973, Daniel, born in 1975, and stepson Richard, born in 1962.

After her marriage ended in 1981, and faced with starting over in life alone, she moved back to San Diego with her two sons, Joseph and Daniel. She became the parish secretary at St. Patrick’s church in 1984, where she served as the heart of the parish for 18 years, touching countless people’s lives, until her debilitating stroke in December 2002. Despite being paralyzed on one side of her body and losing her ability to speak, she persevered with a strength and dignity rarely seen. Never once complaining about her circumstances, she continued to live a rich and full life for the next 23 years. She enjoyed going to church, reunions, plays, theatres, tennis and baseball. A lifelong Padres fan, she enjoyed season tickets for many years with her sister Jeannie and her two closest friends Crystal and Donna.

She is survived by her two sons, Dan and Joe, Joe’s daughter Paige, stepson Richard and wife Lory Ann, countless step-grandchildren, and a number of good friends, Crystal, Donna, Mary and Mike, and her cousins Peggy and Gretchen. Mary was a devoted sister to Jeannie and a beloved mother to Dan and Joe. She believed strongly in her faith, and it gave her tremendous strength and courage to face life’s difficulties with grace and dignity. Mary will be deeply missed by everyone who knew her, and her memory will live on in the hearts of those she touched.

A Rosary will be held for Mary at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church (3585 30th St., 92104) on Saturday, November 15th at 12:30pm. The funeral mass will begin immediately after at 1pm, followed by a burial service at Holy Cross Cemetery.