Dr. Robert Carl MacDonald

Robert Carl MacDonald, dearly beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend passed away on December 4, 2018 at the age of 90. He was born August 30, 1928 to the late Inge Davison and Homer McDonald. He, his younger sister Barbara and his mother moved to Long Beach, CA. Soon after he attended boarding school on Catalina Island, where his life long love of the water began. As a teen, Robert moved to St. Louis, MO where he attended Beaumont High School. He met a fellow swimmer who sparked his interest in Dentistry which became his lifelong occupation for 58 years! In 1949, he was drafted into the Army and served in the Korean War as a machine gun repairman before returning home to complete Dental school at St Louis University of Dentistry.

In Dental school, Robert met and married Ann Marie Mannion. Together they had 8 children. They moved to Naples, FL, where he began a new Dental practice. Here he was able to practice with his oldest son Mike until he was 85! In addition to dentistry, he loved sharing his knowledge about vitamins and overall health with his patients. He truly loved being a dentist. He organized and participated in the Jamaica Outreach Program for Missionary Dentistry and supported the Senior Healthcare Program for the needy in Naples, FL.

During his spare time, Robert (lovingly referred to as Ward) was voracious about sports. He loved handball, racquetball, skiing, and water polo and was passionate about swimming. He swam competitively in the U.S. Masters Swimming Program until he was 87. While in his 70’s, he shattered many individual national records in breaststroke and one world record in the 200 m. individual medley relay and two world records in breaststoke. Robert and his 1948-1952 water polo team members were inducted into the Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame, St. Louis MO in 2003.

In 1999, Robert married his current wife Carole Hone, where they live in Naples, FL along with Carole’s daughter Jill, and her two children, Joel and Abbyrose.

Robert is survived by his wife, Carole; 7 children, Dr Mike (Mary) MacDonald, Tim MacDonald, Lt Col (ret) Jim (Susan) MacDonald, Scott (Carrie) MacDonald, John MacDonald, MaryLynda MacDonald, Matt (Louis Aguirre) MacDonald; step daughter, Jill Stellway; 13 grandchildren; 4 great grandchildren; and one niece.

He was predeceased by his first wife, Ann Marie MacDonald; sister, Barbara Overman; daughter, Margaret Ann Blackwell; granddaughter, Amy Marie MacDonald; and grandson Robert Francis MacDonald.

A Memorial Mass will be at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 625 111th Ave N, Naples, Fl, on January 12, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to NAMI Foundation.