Get any of our free daily email newsletters — news headlines, opinion, e-edition, obituaries and more.
If you value these stories, please consider subscribing.
Alma "Jean" McDonald Alma "Jean" West McDonald, 94, passed away on Dec 1, 2021 at her residence in Bozeman. She was born on Aug 25, 1927, to James Riley West & Alra Alma Butler. She was the third child and first girl of nine total. She was born in Tekoe, Washington. The family lived around Eastern Washington until they finally settled in Walla Walla. At age ten, she was hemming diapers on al old treadle sewing machine and doing all she could to help out the family. She often told her children how she walked miles to school in the snow with cardboard on the bottom of her shoes because they were in such terrible shape having holes in the soles. Her childhood is what made her into the tough-minded person she was throughout her life, taking nothing for granted. At age seventeen, Jean married Charles McDonald. He was in the Air Force and had just returned from the disaster Pearl Harbor. They spent the next twenty plus years traveling around the world while raising four children. After three years in Naples, Italy, they were stationed in Rapid City, South Dakota, where they retired and spent the next thirty-five years. During this time Jean took up golf which came easier to her than most. She became an excellent golfer and won many tournaments at Meadowbrook golf course. She continued to play golf well into her 80's! She taught her grandson, Todd how to play golf when he was a small tyke. Todd went on to play in the 1999 US Amateur which shows how great she was at teaching the game as well. Mac and Jean then moved to Bozeman, Montana in the mid 90's to be near family. They lived six months of the year at Leisure World in Mesa, Arizona and the rest in Montana. They loved their years in Arizona and made many close friends playing golf. Mac & Jean were married for 58 years to the day when Mac passed away suddenly in 2003. Jean continued to live in both places for several more years. Health issues became a burden and this forced her to move into an assisted living facility in Bozeman in 2011. Even though dementia robbed Jean of many of her previous activities, she continued to be quite the character! Her family kept her golf clubs in her room for ten years, along with her trophies. The caretakers would see her golf clubs and asked if she played golf. Her answer was always, "I play 18 holes everyday with Matt Kuchar!" Her great grandchildren have been blessed being able to get to know her prior to the dementia. As of late, COVID has been a terrible ordeal for Jean. Her family could not take her out to the family gatherings and couldn't even visit her most of the time. In January 2021, she ended up contracting the virus. To the family's surprise, she was completely A-Symptomatic while her great grandson contracted it at the same time and had symptoms. Jean is survived by three of her four children, Carole Sisson of Bozeman & Palm Desert, CA, Charlie McDonald of Battle Lake, MN, and Pam Vlaanderen of Hooper, UT. Jean has seven grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. She is also survived by four of her siblings, Leona Grassi of College Place, WA, Zeke West of Kooskia, ID, Mary Ann Warren of Denver, CO, & Roy West of Kamiah, ID. She was preceded in death by her parents, four siblings, and her son, Stephen Craig McDonald. When the pandemic is over, the family will gather to honor Jean's life in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Jean was an inspiring woman, from living through the toughest period in US history, 1930's through WWII all the way into the world we live in today. Her family will continue to honor her life story for years to come being thankful for the time they were able to get to know her. Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com
Get any of our free daily email newsletters — news headlines, opinion, e-edition, obituaries and more.
Introductory offer for new subscribers only. Get full access to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle's award-winning news and sports coverage, as well as arts and entertainment, opinions and more. Subscribe today!
Search the complete digital archives for all papers in the Pioneer News Group.
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.