Thomas "Bumpy" McDonald

Thomas "Bumpy" McDonald, died unexpectedly in his home on Thursday November 6th at the young age of 72. He was a proud dad, a loyal friend, a loving and reliable brother, and was truly the best grandpa ever, a role that brought him more joy than we all thought was imaginable.
Bumpy is survived by his daughters Caitlin Lietzau (Jon) and Shannon McDonald (Derek), his grandkids, who are the true lights of his life, Layla and Crosby, his siblings Linda, Matt (Jill), Jim (Erin), and Kelly, and countless nieces, nephews, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Helen, his sister Tracy, his brother Dick, and his brother-in-law Bill.
He was born on February 4th, 1953 to Richard and Helen McDonald in Evergreen Park, IL. After he graduated from Assumption High School in 1971, he went on to get his Bachelor of Science in Forestry at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, followed by a Master of Science in Forest Management and a Masters in Business Administration from Michigan State University in 1979/1980 (respectively). He worked for years in sales, loving the hustle of chasing a lead and being able to travel and have fancy business dinners at all his favorite restaurants, but also loved telling us the scientific name of every tree we'd see while we were camping as kids, so we always joked with him about putting both of those master's degrees to work.
Although Bumpy would tell you he can't even remember life before Layla and Crosby were born, he was a man of many hobbies and interests. He was an avid kayaker and went on countless solo and family camping trips over the years. He loved to spend his time with his siblings, including talking to at least one of them almost everyday on the phone, and did the same for his close friends, some who he met through walking the recovery steps and many that he grew up with or collected from jobs over the years. He loved staying up late watching basketball (and South Park), getting into political arguments, and committing to a joke/bit for so long that it became funny again. The world lost a good one and he will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
A memorial will be held at the MN Cremation Society in Edina, 7110 France Ave S, Edina, MN 55435 on Monday November 24th, 2025 at 2:00 PM. Family visitation one hour prior to service. Directly following the memorial, you are welcome to join us for food, drinks, and a celebration of his life at the Chanhassen Legion, 290 Lake Dr E, Chanhassen, MN 55317 from 3:30PM - 6:00 PM
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to MN DNR's Future Forest Fund, which helps to keep state forests, a space that Bumpy loved, healthy for future generations. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/gifts/fff_donation.html