Maria & William Mcdonald

William and Maria McDonald, longtime residents of Port Orchard, WA, passed away together on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016 at the ages of 70 and 65, respectively.

They are survived by their five children, Gwendalyn (Mark) Papenhausen, William McDonald, Anjanette (Paul) Reed, Eric McDonald, Jennifer (Bill) Collins; and their 14 grandchildren, Bobby, Taylor, Caleb, Kylei, Haley, Emma, Drew, Ethan, Alyssa, Ava, Ella, Nathan, Sydney and Miranda.
Bill is also survived by his mother, Joyce McDonald; and his siblings: Jack McDonald, Alice (Bob) Addington, Jim McDonald, Rex McDonald, Caldeen (Cameron) Benedict, Fern Sanchez, Marjorie Dowers and Sandra Knopf. He is predeceased by his father, Clarence McDonald; and his brother, Calvin McDonald.

Maria is also survived by her siblings: Frank Cruz, John Cruz, Tony Cruz, Lou (Ernest) Lazaro and Victor Cruz. She is predeceased by her parents, Manuel and Ana Cruz; and her brother, Fred Cruz.

Bill was born in Sunnyside, Washington on March 2, 1945 to Clarence and Joyce McDonald. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing and horseback riding. Soon after graduating from Salmon High School in 1963, he enlisted in the Air Force and was based at Andersen Air Force Base in Yigo, Guam.

Maria was born to Manuel and Ana Cruz in Sinajana, Guam on May 2, 1950. She loved cooking and also participated in many school sports. After her graduation from the Academy of Our Lady in 1968, she worked as a teacher’s aide in an elementary school.

Bill and Maria first met on the beaches of Guam in October of 1966. According to Bill, “Maria was with a girlfriend on the beach. They were eating a can of peanuts and saw me in the water. Her girlfriend dared her to offer me some of her peanuts and she took the dare.”

Maria told Bill that if they were to date, he would first have to meet her father. So with that, Bill caught a bus from Anderson AFB in Yigo, to Townhouse Department Store in Agana, and walked miles uphill to Sinajana Church. Since no one was available at the church, he went next door to the fire station and asked for Manuel Cruz’s house and was escorted there by the fireman. As a man with high integrity and commitment, Bill quickly won over the hearts of Maria’s parents by doing odd jobs around the house. Maria’s mother declared Bill “a good man.”

Strict Chamorro customs applied while they were dating and Maria’s mother or sister had to accompany them at all times. Some of their favorite dates included Maria watching Bill play bass guitar in a band he shared with his Air Force buddies. Their love for one another continued to grow for the year that followed and they were engaged by December of 1967. In January, Bill was discharged from the Air Force and returned to the States to find a job. They were separated for eighteen months and Maria joked that she didn’t think he was coming back at all. During this time, they generated hundreds of love letters that Maria saved in her hope chest. Bill said Maria was “more interested in my welfare, more interested in what I do, more concerned about me.” True to his word, Bill did return. He converted to Catholicism and they were married on July 18, 1969 in Sinajana, Guam.

Maria’s first trip off the island of Guam was to meet Bill’s family in Caldwell, ID. They then moved to Sacramento, CA where Bill joined an apprenticeship program in radio and television repair with a private company. It was in Sacramento where their first child was born, in June of 1970.

With Maria’s strong sense of family and cultural connection, she found herself homesick and they made the decision to move back to Guam where the rest of their five children were born. Bill decided to enroll in college and earned his undergraduate degree in electronics from the University of Guam. Upon graduation, he began his life-long career in the telecommunications industry which brought them to Oxnard, California in 1976. Bill continued his education and earned his master’s degree in business from the University of La Verne. Once the children were all in school, Maria began her career as a bank teller.

In 1983, another career opportunity moved the family to Port Orchard, Washington where they planted deep roots and became very involved in the community. They were generous contributors to the Guam Club, St. Gabriel Catholic Church and The Knights of Columbus. Bill retired from SES Americom in 2005 and started his own consulting business, WBMSAT, working out of his home.
Maria worked 22 years with Kitsap Bank where she developed many close relationships.

Bill and Maria shared a tremendous love for life and will be deeply missed by all who knew them.

A Funeral Mass is scheduled for Saturday, March 5th at 11:00 a.m. at St. Gabriel Catholic Church in Port Orchard, WA. Donations in Bill and Maria’s honor can be made to the Maria and Bill McDonald Memorial Fund at Kitsap Bank, P.O. Box 1515, Port Orchard, WA 98366.