Dr. James Thaddeus McDonald, Jr. DDS's Obituary
Dr. James Thaddeus McDonald, Jr. DDSWell done good and faithful servant! Dr. James (Jim) Thaddeus McDonald, Jr. of Camden, Arkansas went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on January 28, 2019. Born March 14, 1929, Jim had an idyllic childhood in Camden Arkansas and was an honor graduate of Camden High School, Class of 1947. He then attended Southwestern at Memphis College where he became a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Because of his desire to be an Orthodontist, he transferred to the University of Arkansas to complete his undergraduate degree and went on to Washington University School of Dentistry in St. Louis to earn his DDS. Jim was also a Korean War era veteran, serving two years in Greenville, SC as a General Dentist in the US Air Force. After his service, Jim returned to Washington University School of Dentistry to obtain a specialty in Orthodontics. He established an Orthodontics practice in Pine Bluff, then relocated to Camden, ably assisted by Willie Jean Kemp serving the smiles of southern Arkansas.Jim McDonald was a life-long member of First Presbyterian Church in Camden where he served as deacon and elder. He was a kind and gentle man who used his gifts to bless others. In the early 1990s he served as a dental missionary in Africa at Kijabe Station, Kenya practicing and teaching local dentists basic Orthodontics there. Jim was a member of the Camden Rotary Club, a Master Gardener and a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Arkansas. He enjoyed playing bridge with his friends, collecting and building clocks, painting watercolors and oils, driving his 1955 Thunderbird, traveling, and gathering with family and friends at Mustin Lake.He was preceded in death by his parents Irene Watts McDonald and James Thaddeus (Thad) McDonald, Sr. He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law Mary and Lin C. Wetterau, Jr. of Dallas, Texas; nephews L. Cave Wetterau III (his wife Karen and sons Stephen and David) and J. Thad Wetterau (his wife Lee Ann and daughters Sarah and Hannah). He is survived by first cousins Thomas McGill, Dr. John (and Garnet) Watts, David (and Carolyn) Watts, Mary Todd (and Rev. Bill) Young, and Rev. Tom (and Carolyn) Brown, extended family and many friends.A Memorial Service celebrating the life of Dr. McDonald will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Camden on February 16, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. Interment in Greenwood Cemetery (Camden, Arkansas) with his beloved Watts kin. If you wish to give a memorial in his honor consider giving to: Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Children’s Home, 745 Old Warren Road Monticello, AR 71655 or First Presbyterian Church in Camden, Arkansas.
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