Mary Ferne Macdonald

Mary Ferne MacDonald, 94, a resident of the Coventry Apartments of Rock Island, Illinois and formerly of Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa died on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009 at Trinity Medical Center, West Campus in Rock Island.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:30 A.M. Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at the McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Chapel, Bettendorf. Burial will be in Davenport Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 9:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association or First Christian Church of Davenport where she was a devoted member.
She was born on January 24, 1915 in rural Scranton, Iowa, the daughter of Claude LaVerne & Nancy (Sayre) Eason and received her education at the Iowa State Teacher’s College in Cedar Falls, Iowa.. On November 14, 1937, she was united in marriage to W. Paul MacDonald in Scranton. He preceded her in death on March 18, 1972.
Mary was most recently employed in sales for Von Maur Department Store and had worked at all of their Quad-City locations. In earlier years, she had worked as a manager in market research and many years ago, taught in a one-room school in Scranton.
In addition to the church, she was a member of King’s Daughters, the Quota Club and the Ruth Circle of the church. A tireless volunteer, Mary spent many hours baking and doing crafts for charitable fund raising events and other activities within her church. She enjoyed regular Bible study, loved to read was an accomplished cook and baker and took great joy in providing transportation for her many friends who did not drive. Above all else, her family was the center of her life and she was an avid fan of her children’s & grandchildren’s athletic events throughout the years.
Those left to honor her memory include her children, Chad (Linda) MacDonald of Blue Grass, Iowa, Claudia (Richard) Sage of Alpha, Illinois and Lee (Holly Jasper) MacDonald of Davenport; her grandchildren, Cindy (Scott) Richards, Travis MacDonald, Tony (Lupe) DiToro, Matt (Bree) Sage, Joel (Tara) Sage, Richie (Pam) Sage and Jan (Shane) Hulick; sixteen great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; her sister, JoAnn Dittert of Jefferson, Iowa; her sister-in-laws, Mildred MacDonald, Gwen MacDonald & Jessie Buckmann; her brother-in-law, George MacDonald; and many nieces & nephews who were all very dear to her.
In addition to her husband, Mary was preceded in death by her sister, Lois Beardslee; and her brothers, Donald Eason and Robert “Bud” Eason.