Archie Mcdonald

"God gives all men all earth to love, but since man's heart is small, ordains for each one spot shall prove beloved over all." - Rudyard Kipling Some men live their lives aimlessly, with no direction, no guide to lead the way. Archie McDonald certainly wasn't one of them. Archie was a man with a powerful moral compass, who lived his life with order, faith and fellowship. He was a devoted husband, loving father and loyal friend, and a man who found his greatest peace among God's creation. Most of all, Archie was an example, of a free man, as well as a good man. Archie's story began on a hot, dusty day in the Great Plains of Oilton, Oklahoma, in 1919. Those were times of celebration in this country, as Americans returned home from their costly victory in World War I. On August 14, 1919, Archie and Margaret (Nichols) McDonald found even more reason to celebrate, with the birth of their last child, a boy they named Archie, after his dad. Little Archie was a surprising blessing to the family, arriving nine years after the closest of six siblings. He joined Grace, Nita, Etta, William, and Margaret in the family's Oklahoma home, where his father was an oilman. Sadly, his brother Nathan died when Archie was a toddler, after being kicked by a mule. When Archie was 3 years old, the oil was drying up, so the family packed up and moved to the northern Michigan town of Brethren, in Manistee County. His parents purchased a huge plot of land there, one square mile, and they set out to live off the land. After a year, they moved back to Oklahoma for one last go at the oil business, but moved back to Michigan seven years later for good. Archie fell in love with all of God's nature in Northern Michigan, and was involved in the Boy Scouts, teaching him to live off the land, to hunt, and fish. He loved Brethren, and their land has remained in the family for generations. Archie was a very bright young man, an excellent student, and was named Valedictorian of his class at Dickson Agricultural School in Brethren, from where James Earl Jones would graduate 12 years later. After high school, with jobs scarce in Brethren, Archie moved south to Muskegon, going to work at the Kaydon Corporation as a machinist. Archie was very smart and was excellent with math and geometry, perfect for the precision machinery he made at Kaydon. In 1940, when he was 21, Archie experienced a significant moment in his life, when he became a member of the Freemasons. The organization would bring a clarity and order to his life, and was truly an integral part of the man he became. Soon, however, the darkening skies of World War II thundered to our shores, and Archie was anxious to fight for his country. His job at the military-supplier Kaydon could have kept him out of the war, but he enlisted in the U.S. Navy anyway, serving as a bombardier in the Caribbean on sub patrol, using his algebra skills to figure out bombing coordinates. His stories later in life explained just how close the war was to our shores. Archie also received orders for invasion of Japan when V-J Day occurred, just days after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending the war. He always said afterward that while the bombing was questioned by many, he was sure his life was saved by the ending of that terrible war. Archie returned to Kaydon after his discharge, where he would remain for a total of 39 years. It was his personal, not professional life, that was about to change, however. One day Archie met a beautiful young nurse named Jeanne Wilder, and they began dating. They dated off and on before marrying on June 28, 1950, at the Baldwin Congregational Church. Jeanne became a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, the sister organization to the Masons, and they shared a loved for those organizations throughout their lives. Archie became very involved in the Masons, and attained many high levels in the organization over the years. The Masons appealed to him for so many reasons, from the moral compass within him, to the symbol of the Masons, the square and compass logo. The Masons lived straight and true, squaring their actions by the square of virtue, just as he did. Archie also joined the Shriners, where he held many posts, even serving as a clown for the Shrine Circus. Between the Masons and the Shriners, the list of his accolades was extensive. He was named Master of Lovell Moore Lodge #182, Mason of the year for 1983, High Priest R.A.M. from 1985-86 and again in 1995-96, inducted into order of High Priesthood, Commander of Knights Templar #22, Thrice Illustrious Master of R.S.M. #54, Receive Order of the Silver Trowel, Worthy Patron of Mizpah #88, member of Bethesda White Shrine, President of Muskegon Shrine Club and received the Knight York Cross of Honor. Archie and Jeanne were unable to have children, but that changed in 1962, when they adopted a two-week old baby boy they named Alan. Alan fulfilled Archie's life in so many ways, and he raised his son with the same principles and morals he possessed, as well as the same great love for the outdoors. Father and son went on countless hunting trips together over the years, even a beloved safari to Africa in 1993. Alan said most of the photos he has of he and his dad are with dead animals! Sadly, Archie's beloved Jeanne battled diabetes for a number of years, and in 1983, just a year after he retired from Kaydon, she had a leg amputated. Her condition began worsening, and she sadly died on July 4, 1984. It was such a difficult loss for Archie, and he struggled to move on. Eventually, he grew close to Mamie Perrin, who he had known for years, and was a member of the Eastern Star, as well. Mamie became a beloved companion for him, and they enjoyed traveling and socializing together in their retirements. Sadly, Mamie died in 1999. Archie began enjoyed Alan's growing family even more, now with his grandsons, aptly named Hunter and Kodiak, who he was so proud of. Archie continued to hunt with his sons and grandsons until a heart attack in 2002, which hospitalized him for three months, taking quite a toll on him. Archie had an incredible home on Little Black Lake in Norton Shores, backed by PJ Hoffmaster State Park's sandy soil and pines. It was the perfect place for Archie, surrounded by God's nature, with a huge picture window overlooking the lake. When he returned from his African safari, Archie told Alan he was happy to be home, and that he never wanted to leave the lake. He never did. Archie died on Tuesday morning, March 20, 2007, after having his cup of coffee, looking out that window at his beloved lake. He was 87. Archie was a man who lived his life by his moral compass, squaring his actions against the square of virtue, with character, compassion, and charisma. He was a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, and a loyal friend to so many. Most of all, he was a Mason, a free man, as well as a good man. To the people that knew him, Archie was the best of men. He will be greatly missed. Surviving him is his son, Alan McDonald of Norton Shores; 2 grandsons, Hunter & Kodiak McDonald and their mother, Michelle McDonald; several nieces & nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife; 2 brothers & 4 sisters. Services are Saturday, March 24, 2007, 1:00 PM at Clock Chapel with Rev. Richard Morrison officiating. Interment at Sunrise Memorial Gardens at a later date. Visitation is scheduled for Friday, 2-4 & 6-8 PM at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon with O.E.S. & Masonic Memorials at 8 PM and Saturday, 1 hour prior to the service. Memorials may be made to the Shiners Hospital or Lovell Moore Lodge. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to share a memory or sign the online guest book.