Roger Allen MacDonald

 

Roger Allen MacDonald passed away at the age of 99 at the Care Center in Grand Marais, Minnesota on June 21, 2023. He lived a full life serving as a family physician in Koochiching County, Minnesota from 1948-1962 and in Cook County, Minnesota from 1962-1978, as well as a brief stint in St. Peter, Minnesota with his brother in-law, Dr. Robert Nelson.

Roger was born in Sheffield, Pennsylvania on March 27, 1924. His family moved to Winona, Minnesota in 1935. Roger started playing violin when he was 11 years old and continued playing for the next 80+ years. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout while living in Winona. He graduated from Winona High School in 1941 and attended Winona Teachers College for a year before being accepted to Drake University the following year on a music scholarship. He enlisted in the army once he turned 18 in 1942 and was encouraged to enter medical school to meet the demand for doctors to serve in WWII. He was officially discharged from army in 1945 and graduated from medical school in 1946. He began his internship at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, Minnesota where he met Barbara Bramer, a registered nurse from Grand Portage, Minnesota. They eventually married in 1948 and moved to Littlefork, Minnesota where Roger started clinical practice and Barbara worked as a nurse. Their 4 children were born in Littlefork: Mary, Bruce, Jane, and Allan.

During the early to mid 1950’s, while still living in Koochiching County, Roger and Barbara traveled fifty miles each way to the Boise Fort Indian Reservation at Nett Lake to hold weekly clinic hours. They continued traveling to Nett Lake for six years.

The family moved to Grand Marais, Minnesota in the spring of 1962 where Roger worked as a family practitioner. In 1966 12-year-old Pamela Bramer came to live with the MacDonalds and a year and a half later, her 14-year-old brother Thomas joined the family as well. In 1968 Roger and Barbara adopted Tom and Pam so then there were 6 siblings. It was an active but fun-loving household.

In 1972 Roger became involved in the University of Minnesota medical school’s Rural Physician Associate Program. Third year medical students spent nine months in a rural setting with an established physician to get a taste of small-town rural medicine. Many of Roger’s medical students returned to Cook County after graduation from medical school to work in the community. Roger worked with medical students in the RPAP program until the late 1980’s.

Roger achieved many awards during his career. In 1975 he was awarded “Doctor of the Year” for his involvement in cancer screening clinics. The Cancer Society recognized his work with many other awards over the years. In 1985 and 1989 he was voted Teacher of the Year by junior and senior medical students for his work with the RPAP program. In 1989 he was awarded “Teacher of the Year” by the Academy of Family Practice. He was especially proud of this award as it was voted by his state colleagues.

Roger’s life took a sad turn when his beloved wife of 48 years, Barbara, died in 1996. Barbara was his partner in their professional lives as well as their personal lives.

The following year in 1997, Roger met Jackie Stern, another violin player at an orchestra Elderhostel camp in Colorado. They were married in 1998. They shared the love of making music together in various groups for the next 20+ years. They split living half the year in Minnesota and half the year in southern California.

Roger finally retired from medicine and teaching in the early 1990’s but embarked on a new career when family and friends encouraged him to write down some of his many experiences and memories. The result was a series of memoirs called the Country Doc stories. Later he began writing fiction which he claimed unleased his imagination. He was still working at his laptop just a few days before he died.

He is survived by wife Jackie and 3 stepchildren and step grandchildren; eldest daughter Mary MacDonald (Jeff Morgan), grandsons John Fleming (Kate), great-grandson Ezra, Matt Fleming, Tim MacDonald-Morgan; son Tom MacDonald (Lori); son Bruce MacDonald; daughter Pam MacDonald; daughter Jane Ranum, granddaughters Jenna (Al Berglund), great-granddaughter Lauren & great-grandson Landon; granddaughter Kelli (Jerry Lawrence), great-granddaughters Skyler and Cassidy; son Allan MacDonald. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Roger’s family is extremely grateful to the local physicians, nurses, physical therapists, and all the staff who helped him during his final days.

There will be a celebration of Roger’s life at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in the spring of 2024.

Memorials may be given to North Shore Health Care Foundation.