Thomas James McDonald

Thomas James McDonald, age 94, of Charlottesville, Virginia passed away on Thursday, February 22, 2024.

Born March 2, 1929, to John Sanford McDonald & Edith James McDonald in Sioux City, Iowa. Upon Graduation from high school, he sailed for three years on petroleum tankers for STD oil of California. In 1951, he was called to active duty with the Iowa Air National Guard. He later transferred to the Army and served in Korea during the Korean Conflict. He was assigned to Graves Registration Co. and served as a member of a search and recovery team. Their function was to investigate air crashes and recover the remains of the personnel killed. Their major function was to search for MIAs.

In 1958, He graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering. He accepted employment with Allis-Chambers in West Allis, Wisconsin. He spent two years on a graduate engineering training course. In 1961, He joined Bechtel Power Corp. in Gaithersburg, MD, where he served until his retirement in 1989. While with Bechtel, he was involved with the design and construction of fossil-fired and nuclear power plants. He served for five years as the chief Mechanical Engineer for Bechtel’s Eastern Power Division.

He was married to Nancy Faye Norman in 1955, Tom and Nancy have four daughters. Nancy expired in 1988.

Tom married Patricia M. Myers in May 1989. Tom and Patricia enjoyed many years of traveling and made good use of their timeshare. They both enjoyed golf.

Tom is a member of the Meadows Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Va.

In addition to Patricia, Tom is survived by his four Daughters; Sarah M. Shultz of Greenbelt, MD, Leanne J. Rouser of Redwood City, California, Diane J. Gibson of Mt. Airy Maryland, & Marilyn J. Porter of Frederick, MD. There are a total of 10 Grandchildren & 6 Step Grandchildren.

There will be a graveside service held at a later date.