Laconia-----Mendon R. MacDonald died Sunday, May 10, 2015 at the Taylor Community in Laconia, three weeks after the passing of his wife of sixty-three years, Elizabeth Brown MacDonald (Bette). The second son of Ray Ellsworth MacDonald and Ruth Evelyn Lamper, Mendon was born May 3, 1929, in Manchester, NH, and – so the story goes - named after the milkman. In fact, his mother read about a man named “Mendon” in the newspaper and gave the name to her son. The man’s wife saw the birth announcement and sent the family a savings bond. No wonder Mendon always loved his newspaper and other “reading materials,” saved in piles as they were “for future reference.”
Mendon attended Central High School, the University of New Hampshire and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, where he was a member of the Nu Sigma Nu Medical Fraternity. Graduated in 1954, he continued his training at Buffalo General Hospital, served two years in the Air Force at Richards-Gebauer AFB in Missouri, and completed his residency at Dartmouth’s Mary Hitchcock Hospital, which he would later refer to fondly as “the Hitch.” In medical school he became familiar with the example of Sir William Osler, Canadian-born physician and teacher, known as the founder of modern clinical medicine. Dr. MacDonald’s compassion and composure while caring for his patients embodied Osler’s ideals. Mendon would bring both qualities to his practice of internal medicine at the Laconia Clinic and Lakes Region General Hospital from 1962 to 1983 and to his role as Medical Director of Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Hampshire from 1983 to his retirement in 1993. While generations of his patients appreciated the way he respected and listened to them, few people, perhaps, consider the enormity of the job of an insurance medical director when deciding what is “medically necessary.” His colleagues respected his efforts and he theirs.
Dr. Osler’s admonition to other physicians to “see to it that you have also an avocation – some intellectual pastime” inspired Mendon as well. He was deeply interested in theology, constantly reading, discussing and provoking others to articulate their thoughts on God, religion and humanity. He served in seemingly every capacity one can imagine at the Laconia Congregational Church from Hazel Duke Thanksgiving Dinner volunteer to choir bass to deacon, trustee and member of the committee currently helping the congregation to become open and affirming. Church-related or not, Mendon was a man of causes and committees. Among the boards he served on, often becoming chair or president, were those of the New Hampshire Medical Society, the Taylor Community, Lakes Region Habitat for Humanity, Lakes Region Day Care Center, Community Health and Hospice, the New Hampshire Music Festival, the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ, Havenwood Heritage Heights Retirement Community, the State Commission on Aging, and the Lakes Region General Hospital Quality Improvement Committee.
Mendon considered his many charitable contributions carefully, choosing ones that would make a significant difference in an individual life, such as a medical charity providing cleft repair surgeries for children, or ensure long-term societal values, such as those protecting the environment or human rights. While energized by intellectual complexity and civil debate, he consistently advocated for simplicity. His lifelong causes: adoption of the metric system of measurement, the 24-hour clock, and universal health care. More than anything, he loved words, spelling out unfamiliar ones with curiosity and precision, analyzing etymologies, memorizing jokes, writing poems that helped him express strong internal emotions of doubt, sorrow, love and hope. Among his challenges and joys was assisting his beloved wife as she coped through decades of life with multiple sclerosis.
Mendon and Bette spent many summer afternoons sailing the waters of Winnipesaukee with friends Alida and Peter Millham in their aptly named sailboat, Serendipity. They enjoyed hiking with their children in the Belknap range and beyond, exploring back roads on foot or by car and, more recently, introducing the next generations to Laconia’s WOW trail. Over the years, Mendon jogged, cross country skied, played golf and volunteered at the desk at Bolduc Park, and relished every chance he got to spend time on his tractor.
The MacDonalds are survived by their three children and their spouses: Jane MacDonald and Cindy Bilbow of New Hampton, Susan MacDonald Hatem and James V. Hatem of Bow, and Daniel Mendon MacDonald of Kennebunk, Maine; grandchildren and great grandchildren: Jennifer and Leslie Smith, and Leslie’s family, Michael Vogel, Jim, Andrew and Rachael; Cali, Emile, Elias and Evelyn Hatem, and Issak, Sophia and Jacquelyn Allaire-MacDonald. They are also survived by Mendon’s brother Kenneth and his wife Dorothy of Bend, Oregon, and sister Betty Gail Derby of Laconia and by Bette’s brother E. Alden Brown of Williamsburg, Virginia and cousin John Ladd and wife Judy of North Adams, Massachusetts; as well as cherished family and friends near and far.
A Memorial Service for both will be held Saturday, May 30, 2015 at 10:00 am at the Laconia Congregational Church., 18 Veterans Square, Laconia NH.
Donations may be made to the Dorcas Fund, for local emergency assistance, at the Laconia Congregational Church, 18 Veteran’s Square, Laconia, NH 03246; to the UNH Foundation, Elliott Alumni Center, 9 Edgewood Road, Durham, NH 03824; or to a thoughtfully considered charity of your choice.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.