The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1929-03-06
W.. MCDONALD OF
WALNUT GROVE DIES
Well Known Redwood County
Citizen Dies of Heart Fail
ure Last Wednesday,.

Citizens of Walnut Grove and Red
wood County were shocked last We'd
nesday when they learned that w. j.
Mcdonald of Walnut Grove had died
from heart failure. Death came to
Mr.. Mcdonald while he was on a
business trip in the country near Wal
nut Grove Wednesday afternoon.
Funeral services were held last
Monday afternoon at 100 o'clock
from the home of the deceased man
and at 1:3O o'clock from the Trinity
Lutheran Church with Rev. R. K.
Chapman of the Congregational
Church officiating. Interment was
made in the Walnut Grove Cemetery
Willis J. Mcdonald was born on
March 10Th, 1870 in Blue Earth, Min
nesota He completed his high schoCt
education in Blue Earth in 1887, later
working on his fathers farm until
21 years of age. For several years
Mr.. Mcdonald was station agent at
various points for the Chicago and
Northwestern Railway.
In 1898 Mr.. Mcdonald settled at
Walnut Grove, where he continued
as station agent until 1898. On
March 3, 1897 Mr.. Mcdonald was
united in marriage to Miss Belle
Stewart of Redwood Falls. To this
union three sons were born.
Since 1910 Mr.. Mcdonald has been
officially connected with the Walnut
Grove State Bank, starting as CASH
ier in 1910 and president of the in
stitution at the time of his death.
Mr.. Mcdonald was very active In
the civic affairs of his community,
serving on the council, member of
the school board for twenty-five
years and secretary-treasurer of the
Walnut Grove Building and Loan
Association.
The deceased mans affiliations
were with the Masonic Order of
which he was a thirty-second degree
Scottish Rite Mason, and the Modern
Woodmen of America. He and his
family faith is that Of the Congre-
gational Church.
Mr.. Mcdonald is survived by his
wife, three sons, Kenneth j., an at
torney of Walnut Grove; Willis S.,
of New York City and Malcolm B.,
a law student at Harvard University;
four brothers, Charles of Westport,
South Dakota; Henry of Harpers
Ferry, Virginia; Clarence of Duluth
and Walter of Portland, Oregon.
Those relatives from out of town
who attended the last rites of the
deceased are Mr.. and Mrs. Stewart
Mcdonald of New York, Malcolm Nc
Donald of Boston and Charles Nc
Donald of Westport, South Dakota.
Among those from Redwood Falls
who attended the services are Mr..
and Mrs. Robert Stewart, Mr.. and
Mrs. A. D. Smith, Mr.. and Mrs. R.
M. Campbell, R. A. Cooper, L. P.
Larson, A. P. Falk and Mr.. and Mrs.
Pollard and son of Morgan.
There are two readily suggested
reasons why the sudden death Of
Mr.. w. J. Mcdonald shocks his
friends of Redwood county who knew
him we'll and were we'll known by
him. The reason of less Importance
is that Mr.. Mcdonald had the appear
ance of man with the promise OF
many more years of active and ach-
ieving life. The greater reason is
that Mr.. Mcdonald was citizen de-
voted and valuable to the community
in which he spent the best years
of his life. For this loss to the COM
munity there is consolation in the
fact that three sons survive to carry
on along the traditional lines and to
perpetuate the name and the i'm
portant activities associated in the
public mind with the name.