John "Sandy" McDonald

1930 - 2025

John "Sandy" McDonald
January 5, 1930 - August 25, 2025
John Miller McDonald Jr., known to most as Sandy, died on August 25, 2025. He was 95 and lived most recently in Northampton, MA.
Born on January 5, 1930, in Evanston, IL and raised in Winnetka, IL, Sandy was the son of John Miller McDonald from Columbus, OH and Florence Merrill McDonald from St. Paul, MN. He married Ann Gebhart McDonald ("Gebby") in 1961, and they spent 64 happy years by each other's side. He graduated in 1947 from New Trier High School, and from Dartmouth College in 1951. He was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy in 1952, serving as a gunnery officer in the Mediterranean on the destroyer USS Warrington. Later, his service continued at the Naval Academy, teaching sailing and racing from Argentina to Brazil before his Honorable Discharge as Lieutenant in 1956. He then pursued an MBA at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, graduating in 1957.
Sandy spent his entire career in sales and marketing positions in the plastic packaging business, first for Kordite in Rochester and Atlanta, and then for 36 years at Continental Can (later Continental Plastic Containers). Throughout his career, he was active in the larger plastics industry, with roles at the Society of Plastics Industry and as a spokesman for public affairs of the Plastic Bottle Institute. He helped to establish the plastic bottle material coding standards for recycling and capped his career at Continental as an environmental consultant.
In 1962, Sandy and Gebby settled into what became their home of 58 years in Noroton Bay, Darien, CT, where they raised three boys. Some of the most memorable moments of his life revolved around boats and the water. Growing up, he sailed on Lake Michigan. At Dartmouth, he raced on the sailing team and helped construct an early boathouse. He raced an Ensign and then a Sonar on Long Island Sound, savored his memorable trips to sail with family and friends in the British Virgin Islands, and proudly entertained many on his retirement Grady-White powerboat.
A member of Noroton Yacht Club for over 60 years, Sandy served in various positions of leadership there and in the broader Darien and Long Island Sound community. He served on the Junior Sailing Committee at Noroton for six years, including as chairman. He served a six-year term as a flag officer, becoming Commodore in 1980. During his tenure, the Club hosted the National Junior Sailing Championship. Sandy and Gebby founded and produced the Noroton Fleet Sheet for over ten years. He was a 1999 recipient of the Moon Award, presented to a Noroton member who has given extraordinary volunteer effort over time to the club.
He served as chairman of the Junior Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound, and also environmental chair of the organization. He was a member of the Connecticut Harbor Management Board, vice chair of the Connecticut Boating Council, and represented Darien on the Citizens Advisory Committee of the EPA of LIS Study. He also served as chairman of the Darien Advisory Commission on Coastal Waters and was Secretary of the High-Speed Ferry Safety Task Force of Long Island Sound.
Sandy took great joy in celebrating others in their achievements, always ready with a smile and a hearty handshake of greeting or congratulation. All who knew him felt his warmth and curiosity, as he inquired about their latest pursuits and shared what he had learned from his own avid reading. To be at a table with him as he raised a glass in "Skol!" was to feel kinship as family. He was an active and devoted father, and later grandfather. Sandy was a happy Scotsman, proud of his Scottish heritage and a long-time member of Clan Donald USA.
Sandy is survived by his wife, Gebby; their three sons, Jock, Doug, and Geoff; three daughters-in-law, Allison Bleyler McDonald, Deanna Cook McDonald, and Sarah Brubacher McDonald; and five grandchildren, Ella, Maisie, Callum, Spencer, and Rory McDonald.
A celebration of Sandy's life will be held at Noroton Presbyterian Church and Noroton Yacht Club on December 27, 2025.