Russell W. Macdonald

Russell William Macdonald died peacefully on February 6, 2026. During his last days, he was always surrounded by the family he loved. He was born on January 10, 1939, on Staten Island, NY. He is the son of Russell and Winifred Macdonald.

Staten Island was a more rural borough of NYC during Russ’s childhood. He remembered the blackouts during WWII, rations, running up and down Emerson Hill. He told many stories about growing up on the island. His family own a coal and fuel oil company so he helped deliver coal and repair the trucks. He even put bags of coal in people’s bathtubs.

He went to New Dorp High School and graduated from St. Peter’s Episcopal School in Upstate New York. He then graduated from Long Island Ag and Tech with an associate degree in Agricultural Engineering. Russ spent three years in the US Army in security communication in Korea and France. After his military service, he graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Ag Econ. An avid Ohio State football fan, he still had four season tickets to the games at the time of his death.

Russ was a cradle to grave Episcopalian from St John’s Episcopal Church on Staten Island. In Indiana, he was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal in Indianapolis where he taught Sunday School for many years. Many of his students still call him, Mr. Mac. Russ and his wife, Jean, transferred to St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church twenty-four years ago. Russ truly enjoyed working on the Time and Talent Auctions. Due to declining health, participation in many church activities became limited.

Moving to the Indianapolis area in 1968, he was employed at Firestone Air Ride Division in Noblesville. Later, he started his own his own business as a financial consultant with small businesses. He retired as a Certified Fraud Examiner and private investigator.

Russ’s favorite occupation in life was being a husband and father. He and Jean were married sixty-one years. As a father, he never missed a school function, a Carmel football game, or an orchestra concert. He was the only dad in the pick-up line for kindergarten. He loved being a grandpa always telling them to, “Keep going.”

Russell developed a love for traveling while in the Army. This love resulted in camping with his family all over the United States from Mount Desert Island to Mesa Verde and from Disney World to Yellowstone. Once the children were grown, he and Jean loved to travel, especially cruising. His last cruise was in July 2023 to Iceland and Greenland.

Russell William Macdonald, husband, father, grandfather, and son is survived by his wife, Jean, daughter, Kathleen Macdonald Prater (Charley), son, Drew Macdonald (Lisa), and grandchildren, Katherine Macdonald Kempf (Michael), Charles Prater, Lauren Macdonald, Matthew Prater, and Alexander Macdonald. He is also survived by his sister-in-law and brother-in-law Luanne and Larry Guffey and his German son, Sven Olaf Gerdes (Adam). As the heart of the family, Russell is missed so much.

Services will be held at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church at 3PM, on Sunday, April 26th. A reception will be held in Fellowship Hall after the service.