Joseph A. MacDonald of Boston died at the age of 92 on March 5, 2017. He was the beloved husband of Ann (Heanue) MacDonald, doting father to Lara (MacDonald) O'Connell and her husband Thomas O'Connell of Lexington and Shannon MacDonald and her late husband Daniel Garland of Boston and grandfather to Declan, Maeve, Keegan, and Aedan O'Connell.
Joe was born February 2, 1925 in Cranston, Rhode Island. When he was three years old, his family returned to Prince Edward Island, Canada. Joe was raised in PEI with his four younger siblings, attended St. Dustan's (University of PEI) and would always maintain an affection for the calm and peace of his island home. Joe moved to Boston as a young man and started his lifelong work for the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. He found great enjoyment organizing hockey leagues, dances, and many other social organizations. He showered attention on his nephews and nieces as the sports-loving single uncle forever known, even to his own children at times, as "Uncle Joe".
Boston is where Joe fell deeply in love with Ann, the beautiful Irish girl who would become his beloved wife and partner for his entire life. She would give him the deepest joy of his life, their daughters. Joe and Ann married and moved to Billerica just after the birth of their first child, Lara. This would be his cherished home where he raised his two children, Lara and Shannon, and was where he lived until the age of 91.
Joe had an early appreciation for values often learned late in life, including family, a strong work ethic, the quiet natural beauty in this world, and love. He returned to his island home many times, later bringing a wife and little girls. He had great foresight, and he valued discipline, timeliness, and education, but he also found great value in lessons learned from a hand of cards or a pool game and from sports. He knew the importance of these small moments in relationships, these casual interactions, for these small moments bring a closeness like no other. Most of all, he valued family, intimacy, and love.
Joe is survived by his wife, Ann, his daughters, Lara and Shannon, son-in-law Thomas, and grandchildren, Maeve, Aedan, and Keegan. He joins and follows his grandson Declan and his son-in-law, Daniel Garland. He also joins his siblings Gertrude, John, Joan, and Ann.

Funeral from the Douglass, Edgerley & Bessom Funeral Home 25 Sanborn St. (corner of Woburn St.) Reading on Saturday March 11 at 9:30 am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Agnes Church 186 Woburn St. Reading at 10:30. Burial to follow at Westview Cemetery in Lexington. Funeral Home visiting hours Friday evening from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. Memorial donations in lieu of flowers are requested to be directed to the Cotting School: The Cotting School,453 Concord Avenue, Lexington Massachusetts 02421. Cotting.org. For directions and online guestbook visit johnbdouglassfuneralhome.com.