Captain John Neil MacDonald

"Neil", who was 91, passed away peacefully surrounded by family in Marblehead, MA. He moved to the town late in his 30-year Coast Guard career, and his affinity for the sea led him to settle not far from the sea. He was an active member of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church as well as a patron of area restaurants, including local favorites like Kitty O’Shea’s. On quiet weekends, visiting family members would often hear Irish music piped into his Locust Street home when they stopped in for lunch.

Neil's long scholastic career began at St. Michael's Diocesan High School in Brooklyn, NY. He entered the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London CT in 1951 and graduated in 1956 with a focus on Engineering.He went on to matriculate from the Naval Postgraduate School, teach mathematics in the CGA’s Engineering Department, and run the USCG’s Washington Radio Station as its Assistant Lab Director. Today, this facility is known as the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, and Intelligence Service Center.

Of equal importance to the technological contributions he made to our nation were the relationships he forged on land and at sea. He fondly recalled the built-in friendships and camaraderie that arose from working on ships with fellow Coast Guardsmen. Over the course of his travels, he met and befriended many colorful characters, and appreciated a good storyteller.

This penchant for storytelling was fitting given Neil’s role as family historian and amateur genealogist. With an excellent memory and an archivist’s instincts, he uncovered the family’s roots, tracing pathways that took earlier generations from the old country, to the Maritimes, and finally, to the United States. He used that family history to good effect, pointing out lessons from earlier generations when family members sought his counsel. He had a knack for inspiration, pointing out ancestors who had overcome similar circumstances.

Neil was born August 16, 1933 to Gertrude and Raymond MacDonald and grew up in Brooklyn, NY. He enrolled in the Coast Guard Academy at age 17 during the early years of the Korean War.

A child of the Great Depression, he vividly recounted stories of older relatives contending with “No Irish Need Apply,” signage. Early in life, he sought stability for himself by attending a service academy. Wanting the same for his descendants, he became a proponent of both military service and public service. Several family members followed in his footsteps, embarking on careers with US Customs and Border Protection, the Navy, and in support of various federal agencies.

What brought financial stability also brought geographic adventure. Neil traveled to postings throughout the Atlantic, including Maine, Puerto Rico, New York. He reminisced about Puerto Rico, where he served as commanding officer for two years, working on radio navigation and attempting to get a tan despite his Irish American coloring. The former was presumably successful and the latter yielded the expected results. He ruefully warned later generations to be more diligent in their use of sunscreen.

Later postings in the Coast Guard brought him to the Coast Guard R&D Center in Groton, CT , where he met the love of his life, Maria, and then to Governor's Island, New York, where he was Commander of the Atlantic Area. While at Governor’s Island, he made numerous visits to US embassies and consulates in Western and Mediterranean Europe with the CG Commandant and Vice Commandant. During retirement, he returned to Europe as a frequent visitor to Ireland and Scotland.

Neil was predeceased by his beloved daughter Johna, his parents Raymond and Gertrude, and his twin brother Raymond.

Neil is survived by his wife and best friend of 50 years, Maria; his five children Theresa Ricupero (John); Scott MacDonald (Kevin); Patricia MacDonald; Kerry MacDonald (Candace); Daniel MacDonald; his grandchildren Krista, Shawn, Kea, Casey, Shannon and Patrick; his great-grandchild, Anna; and many loving nieces and nephews.

Regular travel and shipboard life made Neil resourceful, and his many experiences with success as well as adversity honed his ability to advocate for others. Red tape was no match for his methodical nature and determination, and he generously offered his experience to those facing challenges. He had built an unerring instinct for finding a way forward. “There’s a waiver for everything,” he once intoned to a distraught family member.

An avid reader, he also had a dry, observational wit that could sneak up on the listener, prompting a surprised burst of laughter. His reserved temperament belied his enormous heart – he was a consistent source of quiet encouragement and safe harbor to his loved ones.

Until the end of his life, he maintained a keen interest in the role of science and technology in the nation’s welfare. Upon crossing paths with a Coast Guardsman working on the US’s Arctic interests, he recently remarked (with perhaps too much modesty), “Today's long blue line is doing things quite different from my days as a boot ensign. Much more exciting than the stuff I was doing in my early years.” We are grateful for his service and his love.

Visiting hours will be held on Friday, March 7, 2025 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Eustis & Cornell of Marblehead, 142 Elm Street. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, 85 Atlantic Ave, Marblehead. Burial in Star of the Sea Cemetery, Marblehead will be private at a later date. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.eustisandcornellfuneralhome.com for Neil's family.