Dennis Joseph McDonald Sr.

1939 - 2021

Dennis Joseph McDonald Sr.

Concord, NH — Dennis McDonald, Sr., left this world on Sunday morning, October 24th., to be with our Lord. His dear ones with the hope of joining him again one day are his wife of 57 years, Rita Louise Kee McDonald; three children and spouses: daughter Diane McDonald Wyne of Portland, Maine; son Dennis McDonald, Jr., and wife Kelley of Concord, NH; and daughter Janie McDonald Abramczyk and husband Billy Abramczyk of Weare, NH. His dearly loved adult grandchildren and spouses, Cassi and Patrick Veilleux; Alyssa and Chris Morrison; Dakota and Lexy Wyne; Amanda and David Marshall; Brittney McDonald; Michael Leite; and Chase Abramczyk will miss their "Papa." Twelve great grandchildren will also feel the void in their lives – James, Abigail, Blaine, Bennett, Gideon, Titus, Millie, Finnley, Amari, Oliver, Jayda and David (born just a few days ago). Denny also leaves behind his brother Daniel McDonald and wife Margaret of Concord, NH, and several cousins, nieces and nephews.

Dennis was born in Concord, NH, on January 21, 1939, to Florence Bouche McDonald and Dan McDonald. He was known to most as "Denny" and loved spending time with family. "Home" was his favourite place to be. However, leaving home was certainly worthwhile to him if he would be able to hold a bat or a fishing pole. His contemporaries may remember his ability to "knock it out of the ball park." Third or fourth batter in the line-up often brought "them all home" and earned him more "RBIs" for the season. He co-captained the Concord High School baseball team in his senior year and played many years on the Rumford Press team with the Sunset League. He went out to play ball at the National Baseball Congress in Wichita, Kansas, with a pick-up team in 1961. He turned from hard ball to softball and the Sullivan News team then got the benefit of his slugging abilities which brought them many victories.

His other great pleasure was fishing. Denny, his wife, their three children and dog Taffy left New Hampshire in the fall of 1979 and headed for Alaska. The king salmon and halibut were waiting for him there. The long daylight of summer provided many happy hours on the Deshka River or on Kachemak Bay.

Twelve years in Wasilla, Alaska, gave him time to enjoy following and helping the Mackey cousins prep for and run the Iditarod Race. He got to fly to Nome with Dick Mackey and meet other famous mushers as well. During those years, he coached Senior Little League Baseball and American Junior Legion Baseball, taking the team to Kodiak Island and other places

In 1992, Denny and Rita moved to Kailua, Hawaii, where the fish he caught were a bit smaller but being able to wear shorts year-round made up for it. A highlight for him in Hawaii was taking his granddaughters Amanda and Brittney to their favorite swimming spot on Lanikai Beach during their long visits. Understanding the "pigeon" spoken in Hawaii was always a challenge for him.

Denny and Rita moved back to Wasilla, Alaska, from July of 1995 to July of 1996 when the entire family returned to New Hampshire. In 2006 Denny and Rita moved back into his childhood home in Concord that his father had built bringing him full-circle.

Denny served his country in the United States Army during the Cuban Crisis from January 1962 to January 1964. His outstanding mechanical abilities as well as being a "Mr. Fix-it" always enabled him to find employment and provide for his family. He loved car racing and snowmobile racing, owned a race car in the 1970s and was an Arctic Cat dealer for a couple of years as well.

Seven years ago Denny was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and then cancer three years ago followed by a stroke this past year. God granted him his wish to stay in the home that he so dearly loved until his dying day.

Visiting hours will be held at Waters Funeral Home at 50 South Main Street in Concord from 12 to 1 PM on Friday, October 29th, followed by a procession to Blossom Hill Cemetery for a brief graveside service at 1:30.

Everyone is invited to an open house at the Abramczyk home in Weare during the remainder of the day regardless of whether they were able to make it to the funeral home or the cemetery.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests making a donation to the Concord Little League in his memory @ concordnhlleague.com. Encouraging baseball for youngsters was always his passion.