Elgetha C. McDonald

ASHBURN, Va. – Elgetha C. McDonald (Getha, and to her family, Grammy), 85, of Ashburn, Va. passed peacefully on Thursday, May 26, 2022 at Poet’s Walk Memory Care in Fredericksburg, Va. surrounded by family.

Getha was born March 3, 1937, in Bridgeport, Conn. She grew up in Portland, Maine and graduated from the Mary Hitchcock Nursing School. She married James A. McDonald in Portland Jan. 7, 1961. As they started their family they had many travels from Massachusetts to Alaska to West Virginia and finally settled in Loudoun County in 1969. They were active members of St. Joseph’s church in Herndon, Va. She worked as a nurse for Town Pediatrics until her retirement.

Grammy loved gardening, reading and spending time with her family. As she raised four boys, she had a fondness for white Zinfandel, maintained order with her wooden spoon, and her response to any complaining was “suffer”; though rarely did that actually happen. She will always be remembered for her support, trust, love and her famous cowboy cookies.

She is survived by her husband, James A. McDonald; her sons Mark, Paul, James and Stephen McDonald, her daughters-in-law, Jennifer, Patricia, Sydney and Melanie; her 15 grandchildren Matthew, Madeline, Emily, Gavin, Makenzie, Paul, Kevin, Mitchell, Jake, Michael, Grant, Blake, Patrick, Jillian and Jack; great-grandchildren Calvin, Camilla, and Harvey; her sister Marydonna Uksa, her brother Ronald Pallang; and many nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, June 6, 2022 at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg. A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 9149 Elys Rd. Fredericksburg, VA 22407. Interment will follow in Laurel Hill Memorial Park.
Online guest book is available at covenantfuneralservice.com.

In lieu of flowers, please contact your local Catholic church and have a mass said in her name or make donations to:

Cure Alzheimer’s Fund

34 Washington St. Suite 310

Wellesley, Hills, MA 02481 or at: https://curealz.org/giving/donate/