Joseph Michael McDonald of Swansea, Massachusetts, son of the late Joseph Michael and the late Gertrude (Dearden) McDonald, passed away peacefully August 28, 2020 at the age of 90 after a short illness, surrounded by the family that he loved and who loved him. He was preceded in death by his wife Lucille Anne (Bernier) McDonald, to whom he was married for 41 years prior to her death in 1998.
Joseph was born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts. He was a graduate of St. Patrick’s Grammar School and Monsignor Coyle High School. He was a Korean War Veteran, spending two years in the Army from 1952-1954. He was a graduate of Providence College, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in English. He received his Master’s Degree in Education in 1959 from Bridgewater State College. He continued his education over the years, taking many post graduate courses at Bridgewater State College and Bristol Community College, including many with his son.
He worked for his father at the Berkshire Fine Spinning/King Phillip Mill and then Stop & Shop for many years before being hired by the Fall River Public Schools in 1956, first teaching students at the Samuel Watson, then the John J. McDonough, which eventually became the Matthew J. Kuss Middle School. A much-respected 8th Grade Social Studies teacher and former Vice Principal for the Kuss, throat cancer forced his retirement in 1992 after 36 years of teaching. In the 1970’s, he was part of a group of educators that crafted the first sex education curriculum, along with the Social Study curriculum for Grades 5-8 for the Fall River Schools.
In the 1980’s until very recently, he was a part-time volunteer at Battleship Cove, working closely with the PT Boat coordinators and also allowing his oldest granddaughter to assist him in the care of those boats. He was also part of a group of volunteers that refurbished and expanded the model exhibit on the USS Massachusetts-featuring his work along with that of many talented model builders from the New England area.
Joseph was a photographer, shooting weddings in the 1950s for his friend Armand Jean and shooting tens of thousands of photos in his life: documenting his life and inspiring his son and granddaughters to do the same. He was an avid, award winning model builder, amassing nearly a thousand competition awards in his lifetime for model planes, ships, armor, cars and miniature figures. A member of the Fall River Model Airplane Club in his youth, he was one of the founding members of the Bay Colony Historic Modelers in 1968: a model building organization which still thrives today. He served as a member of the Men’s Guild at the former Our Lady of Fatima Church in Swansea. He was a member of the Fall River Educators Association, the Massachusetts Retired Teachers Association, The International Plastic Modelers Society, and a former member of both the American Aviation Historical Society and Cross and Cockade. His love of history, specifically military history, coupled with his lifelong love of reading resulted in him amassing a huge personal library of books in all genres.
He was an enthusiastic music lover whose musical tastes went from jazz and standards to blues and heavy metal and all styles in between, with his favorite performers being Erroll Garner, The Boston Pops and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. He was also a big supporter of the local bands that his son performed in, including The Hellfire Club, Brideshead and Briar Rose-often photographing their performances for the bands. A talented piano player himself, Joseph was a semi-professional musician during his stint in the Army, regularly playing at the Neville Island Café, in Neville Township Pennsylvania.
When his oldest granddaughter arrived, the decision was to name him Pepere, which morphed into P.P.: a nickname he loved and treasured as did both of his granddaughters.
He is survived by his son Joseph Michael McDonald Jr., his daughter in law Joan (Clark) McDonald, granddaughters Kayleigh Marie Shania McDonald and Hope Elizabeth Sharon McDonald, nephews Eric Paul Anctil and Christian Charles Bernier, nieces Nanette Marie Gidjunis, Valerie Anne Anctil and Erika Jane Hockenhull, sisters-in-law Vigali Anctil and Natalie Jane Dinaburg, brother-in-law Dr. Arthur O. Anctil and his lifelong friends Nora Renquin and Pauline Croteau, along with many friends and several generations of students. Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by his lifelong friend Jean Judge, along with his brothers-in-law Paul Amable Bernier, Raymond Joseph Bernier and Normand Richard Bernier.
The McDonald family would like to thank Country Garden Rehabilitation, but especially the full medical staff from the Saint Mary’s and Saint James units at St. Anne’s Hospital for the care and compassion of Joseph and his family during his treatment there.
His visiting hours will be held on Monday, September 7, 2020 from 4:00 to 7:00PM in the Waring-Sullivan Home at Birchcrest, 189 Gardners Neck Rd., Swansea. Due to current restrictions on public gathering his funeral and burial will be private. Contributions in his honor may be made to the American Cancer Society, 3 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701.
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American Cancer Society3 Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01701
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