Lea Macdonald
Obituary Reports the death of an individual, providing an account of the person’s life including their achievements, any controversies in which they were involved, and reminiscences by people who knew them.
Lea Macdonald was born a leap year baby on Feb. 29, 1948. She died much younger than she should have on May 21, 2021. She left behind her husband, John Macdonald; her daughter, Emily and spouse Andy; and her two beloved wonderful grandchildren, Austin and Skyla. She also left behind her sister, Nancy Doda and spouse David, and two nephews, Jonathan and Kyle Doda and their families. A memorial service was held on the beach, for immediate family and close friends on Sept. 11, 2021, at Elizabeth Carter Beach, Point Pleasant, N.J.
Lea has returned to her birthplace and is buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Mass., where her immediate family members are buried.
In her 73 years, Lea was a bright and shining light always lifting others up with her energy, laughter and smile. She was an exemplary teacher at Pleasantville Middle School for more than 25 years where she not only was a master teacher innovating in the classroom on behalf of her students but served as a school leader supporting her school’s achievement to extraordinary levels of excellence.
As an educator, her influence was far-reaching. She served on the New York State Middle-Level Association’s board of directors, wrote a regular column for that organization titled “Lea’s Lessons” and provided countless professional development workshops to many in New York state’s middle schools and in many middle schools across the United States. As a steadfast advocate for adolescents, Lea made a difference in the lives of so many young people.
She became ill with COVID-19 in November 2020 and died of complications due to an undiagnosed underlying health condition.
If you wish to donate in Lea’s memory, consider giving to http://giving.mountsinai.org/goto/andy on behalf of her granddaughter, Skyla, and her nephew, Jonathan, who both have Crohn’s disease. If you wish to contact her family, e-mail either Emily Perkowski at ewoodnyc@yahoo.com or Nancy Doda at dodainmiddle@gmail.com.
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