James E. MacDonald

DRACUT – James E. "Jim" MacDonald, 86, a longtime resident of Dracut, died on Sunday, June 5, 2016 at Lowell General Hospital following a brief illness. He was the husband of the late Doris B. (Couillard) MacDonald, whom he joined in eternal life after 65 years of marriage.
He was born in Lowell on June 3, 1930, and was a son of the late Joseph and Mary (O'Sullivan) MacDonald. He received his education at St. Patrick Grammar School and Lowell High School.

After serving his country in the United States Navy, Jim was employed for over 30 years by Raytheon Company in South Lowell.
Jim was a world traveler and he loved to dance on the weekends with his wife Doris. In recent years he attended senior Zumba classes several times a week in Lowell and Dracut. His greatest joy was spending time in the company of his grandchildren and great grandchildren, who affectionately referred to him as "The Ice Cream Man."

He was a parishioner of Ste. Marguerite D'Youville Church in Dracut and was a member of the church's Holy Name Society. In his early years, he was a member of the Nocturnal Adoration Society of the Poor Clare Nuns. Jim was also very involved with the Boy Scouts and was a former Scout Master.

He is survived by six children, Nancy Florig and her husband David of Ocean Park, ME, AnnMarie Osteen and her husband Kenneth of Copperopolis, CA, Linda Tierney and her husband William of Dracut, Donna Cochrane and her husband Roy of Milton Mills, NH, Cynthia Cunningham and her husband David of Dracut, and Mark MacDonald and his wife Michelle of Dracut; thirteen grandchildren, Dylan Florig, Prudence Vincent, Melissa McGinnis, Kimberly Tierney-Honan, Kelly Longley, William Tierney, Christine Bell-Stewart, Michael "Mickey" Bell, David Cunningham, Jr., Jennifer King, Meagan Cunningham, Olivia MacDonald and James MacDonald; 21 great grandchildren; two sisters-in-law, Carmen Dufresne and her husband Gilbert of Dracut and Denyse Couillard Lowell; and many nieces and nephews. He was also the brother of the late Robert MacDonald and his wife Ruth, Estelle Gauthier and her husband Conrad, and Harriet Patterson and her husband George; brother-in-law of the late Ovide Couillard and his wife Nancy and Robert Couillard; and the father-in-law of the late Timothy Bell.