Owen Grant Macdonald |
| Posted 2009-11-28 by Judy Wight Branson |
| The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona Sunday, January 5, 2003 Owen Grant Macdonald. Nov. 17, 1903 - Jan. 1, 2003. - Owen Grant Macdonald, Mesa native and long-time resident, passed away peacefully January 1, 2003. Grant was born in Mesa, Arizona November 17, 1903, the ninth of eleven children of Wallace Aird and Sarah Barbara Brundage Macdonald. His grandfather Alexander Finlay Macdonald was the first Mayor of Mesa, after whom Macdonald Street was named. Grant graduated from Mesa High School in 1921 and later served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in the eastern United States. From 1928 to 1931 he attended Utah State College at Logan, and played semi-pro baseball two summers with the Logan Collegians team. When his college career was cut short by the Great Depression, he was hired in 1932 as a bookkeeper for the City of Mesa. The following year he was named City Clerk. In 1941 he was appointed Mesa Postmaster and held the position for thirty years. At the time of his appointment, he knew personally most of Mesa's 7500 residents. When he retired in 1971, there were only a few first names among the 70,000 Mesans that Grant could not recall. He married Mabel Adams of Parowan, Utah, in 1933, in the Arizona Temple. Together they were a remarkable team until her death in 1999. They raised three daughters, Hazel Dawn, Helen, and Katherine. Both Grant and Mabel were heavily involved in community affairs. Grant was an enthusiastic member of the Rotary Club, with perfect attendance for twenty-nine years, and active in its many service projects. He served as Mesa Red Cross chairman, gave his time and talents to community chest drives, and served on many Chamber of Commerce committees. Mabel was a librarian at Mesa High School for 25 years. Both participated on a committee for updating Mesa history as part of Mesa's Centennial Year celebration in 1978. They were also among the founders and supporters of the Mesa Historical Museum. They were active members of the L.D.S. Church. Both served at the Arizona Temple Visitors Center, and for many years Grant was an ordinance worker in the Temple. He is survived by his sister Nathel Macdonald Dana and three aughters, Hazel Dawn (Robert) Riggs, Helen (James) Christensen, and Katherine (Gary) Thornley; fourteen grandchildren, fifty-one great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, two grandsons, and one great granddaughter. Friends may call at the Meldrum Mortuary, 52 North Macdonald, Mesa, on Tuesday evening January 7, 2003, from 6 - 8 p.m. and at the chapel an hour prior to the service. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, January 8, 2003, at 11 a.m., in the Mesa North Stake Center, 933 East Brown Road, Mesa. I nterment will be at the Mesa Cemetery, 1212 North Center. |
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