Neal Edwin MacDonald passed away on March 6, 2024, after a decades-long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. He is survived by his brother, Jim; his high school sweetheart and loving wife of 36 years, Susan; their four children - Sharon, Jeffrey, Jason & Shelley; and six grandchildren - Jack, Tucker, Summer, Waylon, August, & Emma, who loved their “Gumpy.”
Neal worked hard to provide a good life for his family, attending night school at the University of Lowell, while working and sharing the responsibility of raising young children. Through effort and dedication, he earned his degree in mechanical engineering and excelled in his field of work - he was awarded two U.S. Patents in his name; an accomplishment he was tremendously proud of. He also helped build the home where he raised his children and spent 30 years maintaining and improving it.
Neal possessed an intelligent and creative mind, pursuing a life of curiosity, learning new skills, and enjoying a wide range of hobbies, from woodworking and automotive repair, to cooking, gardening, and landscaping. He was resourceful, inquisitive, a problem-solver and tinkerer at heart, and enthusiastically passed his knowledge and skills on to his wife and children.
As a husband and father, he was always present and involved; participating in Boy Scouting, cheering from the sidelines of sports games or the audience of a musical, building skateboard ramps or any other project we asked for, and encouraging and supporting his family in all of our interests and wild fancies. He enjoyed going country line dancing with his wife and friends and taking us all for rides on the back of his motorcycle. He had a love of the outdoors, camping, skiing, and especially hiking and backpacking the White Mountains in New Hampshire; and last but not least, a childlike wonderment and love of Trains!
Above all else, Neal was a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather, to his core; a gentle, playful, and affectionate man who was always there when you needed him, to provide wisdom, comfort, and support. He taught us not to be afraid, that failing is part of learning, doing a good job is commendable, and that hard work is worthwhile. He approached life with empathy and through his quiet guidance, he modeled what it meant to be compassionate, kind, curious, and modest. Some of his finest qualities were his easy-going and patient nature, his open-mindedness, respect for others and acceptance of everyone as individuals, and the ease with which he derived happiness from his family and found joy in the simple things in life. He was proud and grateful for the life that he lived, and he strove to make life better for those he loved. Everything that he was, left its imprint on us and made us better people.
As his last wish and final act of selflessness to help others who suffer from the disease that he endured, Neal donated his brain to the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Boston University for their HOPE study to advance understanding and knowledge on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease for future generations. In lieu of flowers, we ask for donations to support this research at: https://www.bu.edu/alzresearch/education-program/donate/