John Allan "Al" MacDonald

John Allan "Al" Ferguson MacDonald, 91, of Lothian, MD passed away peacefully in his home in the early morning hours of Sunday June 22nd.

Al was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 21st, 1933 to Herbert Allan MacDonald and Annie Lorena May Ferguson. He would graduate from Boston Technical High School before moving on to Gordon College. In 1955, and before finishing at Gordon he began his military service only to return to Methodist College nearly 20 years later to complete a BA in Art and History.

In May of 1955, he chose to proudly serve our country, Al joined the Navy with aspirations of becoming a Navy Pilot. He loved everything about flying and the various types of military and civilian aircraft and a vast knowledge of their uses. He also loved photography, and that passion served him well as he grew in the areas of aerial reconnaissance, imagery analytics, and photo intelligence. His Navy career would see him aboard the USS Independence (CV 62), and those cruises would take him across the Atlantic, to the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, and as part of the Blockade during the Cuban missile crisis.

In 1967, he would discharge from the Navy and began his service in the US Army stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC. Over those next eight years he would serve two tours in Vietnam. Along the way Al would earn numerous medals, awards and citations, before retiring in 1975 the rank of CW-3 at Ft. Bragg.

In 1979, Al would return to service as a civilian with DOD and in support of our armed services through the defense intelligence community, retiring again from service in 1995.

Al married his childhood sweetheart, Jessie May MacDonald, whom he had started dating on her 13th birthday. They studied at Gordon College thinking they were going overseas in the mission field, but Al's love of planes and flying had him joining the Navy. In April 1956 they were married in the Scotch Presbyterian Church in Boston, then started their married life at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in New Jersey. He would often talk of the air ships and their massive hangers. A year later they were at NAS Pensacola, FL where they started their family. A few years later they would return to Naval Station Norfolk, VA. When he transitioned to the Army in 1967, they would be stationed at Ft. Bragg and made their home in Fayetteville NC.

They continued to serve together, devoted to God, they were active in The Village Presbyterian and later Westminster Presbyterian churches and local community. Over the years they worked together with Cub Scouts and were active in the Fayetteville Little Theater where they could express their creative abilities with set design and construction, props and costumes.

In 1985 they built their home in Lothian, MD and settled at Mt. Zion Methodist Church. While at Mt. Zion they would help develop the His Kids program, a church-based nursery. In his retirement, he enjoyed preparing visual aids for his weekly Bible story times with the children in the sanctuary of the church. Al would join the Appalachia Service Project (ASP) team for years as well as help with church maintenance projects and signs for the church. As it became difficult for him to continue with the more physical projects he continued serving as the Lay Minister of Visitation, spending time with shut ins, hospitals and rehab centers. Always serving.

Al had a love for travel and his career took him around the world, He vowed that he would take his Jessie to those places and together they were able to get to many such as South Africa, Hawaii, Canada, Germany, Scotland, France, Tenerife, with frequent trips to the UK to what he would call his second home. He would see his daughter and her family flourish there and become a part of that community. He had a deep commitment to family and was always connecting the family through trips up and down the east coast and across the states for holidays and special gatherings, and fishing trips with his brothers-in-law.

Al was devoted to his family, to God, and to country, and the many stories of his life always revolved around that devotion.

Al was predeceased by his loving wife of 59 years, Jessie, and survived by their four children, Cathy-Joan Palmer (Chris), Herb MacDonald (Jennifer), Stuart MacDonald, Gordon MacDonald, and four grandchildren, Laura, Carolyn, David, and Kameron.

There will be a celebration of life at 3:00 PM on Saturday, June 12th, 2025 at the Mt. Zion Church, 122 Bayard Rd, Lothian, MD 20711.

Al will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date yet to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hospice of the Chesapeake.

Hospice of the Chesapeake

90 Ritchie Highway Pasadena, MD 21122
443-837-3385