Deceased Members–2008

In Memory of Colin Dale "Mac" MacDonald

With family and friends at his side, Colin Dale "Mac" MacDonald died quietly on March 31. He was 73. MacDonald maintained a positive attitude and a wicked sense of humor until the end. Dearly loved, he will be greatly missed.

MacDonald was born Jan. 9, 1935, in Grand Forks, North Dakota to Edna Beaton and Colin C. MacDonald. He graduated from Central High School in Grand Forks in 1953, and later received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Dakota and did graduate work at the University of Michigan. He moved to Sacramento in 1970 and married in 1980. He and his wife Nancy lived in Houston 1985–87, returning to live in Carmichael, California until the time of his passing. As an actuary, he worked with Acacia Life Insurance Company, California Western States Life Insurance Company, American General Life Insurance Company and CalFarm Life Insurance Company.

His greatest joy was his involvement with ragtime music. MacDonald was a long–time member of the Sacramento Ragtime Society and served as their webmaster for a number of years. He sequenced hundreds of midi–files and made them available to others on his own Web site: RagTimeMusic.com. Previously he was webmaster for the Mother Lode Ragtime Society and the West Coast Ragtime Society. Although not a performer, he loved listening to others play his beloved rags. He was particularly interested in supporting the Youth Program of the Sacramento Ragtime Society. To honor him, both the Sacramento Ragtime Society and the Sutter Creek Festival will be dedicated to MacDonald this year.