Roll Call Tribute

Obituary sent by spouse

Roy McDonald of Georgetown, Texas passed away on Monday, August 20, 2018 at the age of 75. He was a member of St. Helen’s Catholic Church. He was born and raised in San Benito, Texas and was the eldest of three brothers.

Roy attended Texas A&M University where he earned his BS degree in Agronomy in 1964 and his MS degree in Horticulture in 1966. He went on to LSU and earned his Ph.D in Biochemistry and Plant Physiology in 1970.

Roy joined the U. S. Department of Agriculture in 1969 at Weslaco, TX as a Research Scientist. In 1974, he was reassigned to the European Marketing Research Center at Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He was responsible for a program to protect and maintain the quality of various agricultural products and to protect them from loss, damage and deterioration in shipments to overseas markets. After returning from Rotterdam in 1979, he served for four years on the Administrator’s Staff as National Research Program Leader in Beltsville, MD. In 1983 Roy transferred to Orlando, Fl where he was Lead Scientist and Research Leader. In 1999, Roy was on site in Ft. Pierce, Florida to supervise the completion of a new USDA laboratory. He retired in December, 1999.

Roy developed his love of travel while he worked for the USDA. In 2000, Roy and Rhea retired to Sun City in Georgetown. They continued to travel extensively to see new places, revisit places they had enjoyed before and to visit their children and grandchildren. Roy traveled to more than 60 countries and to most of the states in the US, including most of the National and State Parks.

Roy’s background of growing up on a farm, getting his degrees in plant sciences and his abiding interest in the endless variety of the natural environment led him to pursue a new career in photography when he moved to Georgetown. With his agricultural background and interest in nature, he gravitated toward landscapes and wildflowers. He loved to travel to new places to experience and photograph the beauty of nature. His photos have appeared in shows and galleries in Sun City and Georgetown. He was a founding club member and served as President of the Sun City Photography Club for two years. He was a Board member and the leader of the Nature Special Interest Group for ten years.

In addition to traveling and pursuing his photography, Roy was President of the Sun City Woodworkers Club for two years and a board member for six years. He participated in several of the special projects the Woodworkers did for the community and the Sun City Community Association, as well as numerous projects at home and for other residents in Sun City.

Roy always felt fortunate and grateful for all the opportunities he experienced and the people he met throughout his life.

Preceding Roy in death were his parents, Roy and Werner McDonald, his brother Richard McDonald, and his son Jeff McDonald.

Roy is survived by his brother Robert McDonald (Darleen), his wife of 43 years, Rhea McDonald, his children, Joan Santa Maria (Michael), John McDonald (Kay), and Kelli Wells (Mark), 10 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:00 am, August 31, 2018 at St. Helen Catholic Church, 2700 E. University Avenue, Georgetown, TX. Interment will be at Our Lady of the Rosary cemetery in Georgetown. A reception will follow in the St. Helen’s Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, we request that donations be made in Roy’s memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
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