Douglas Dean McDonald

Doug McDonald, 76, of Belgrade, MT, died suddenly on Thursday, February 12th, at the trailhead of one of his favorite Bridger Mountain trails near Bozeman.

Doug was born on December 17, 1949, in Langdon, ND, to Dale and Joyce McDonald. He attended public schools in Langdon. After graduating from high school in 1967, he attended Mayville State College in ND and received a B.S. in Composite Science. He worked at the Langdon missile site during his college years and fought fires for the Forest Service in Washington. He started a career as an Environmental Specialist with the Army Corps of Engineers in Omaha, NE, and retired from the Helena, MT, office after 35 years of total service. He also worked with the Corps as a park ranger on Lake Oahe in Bismarck, ND. At age 55, he wasn’t quite ready to fully retire and started a 5-year career as a Stream Protection Specialist with Fish, Wildlife & Parks in Helena.

Doug met his wife, Phyllis, on a camping and boating weekend with friends at a state park near Manhattan, KS. They were married a year later on May 29, 1976. They made Omaha their home and had two sons in 1980 and 1982. The family moved to Bismarck and Helena as Doug took on new positions with the Corps.

Doug loved the outdoors and enjoyed camping and hiking with his sons in the mountains near Helena. The family also had fun on vacations in Washington and Oregon. After retiring, he traveled to Alaska and his ancestral home country of Norway.

Doug had many interests, which included pottery, woodworking, and running. He often told Phyllis, “Burning daylight,” as he always preferred staying busy. He had been a runner for many years, but in recent years he had taken up mountain running. During the last 3 years, he ran in several 7-8 mile Cirque Series mountain races in Utah, Alaska, Wyoming, Colorado, and Washington. Being the oldest runner at most of these races, he won the “Wisest Award” and gained respect from the younger runners. He ran most days.

Family was important to Doug, and he cherished the time spent with his immediate family and extended family. His granddaughter, Arwen, was the apple of his eye. He was loved by all of us and will be deeply missed. Doug was so fit and strong, we thought he would live to be over 100 like his father.

Doug was a gentle, kind man with a great wit and a compassion for helping others. Last year, he met a young family from Peru and volunteered to help them settle in a new country. They became close friends and called him Dad or Papa. Doug wanted to spend the rest of his life doing good work, and he achieved that goal.

Doug is survived by his wife, Phyllis McDonald of Belgrade, MT; sons, Erik (Abigail) McDonald of Bozeman, MT, and Adam McDonald of Belgrade, MT; granddaughter, Arwen McDonald of Bozeman, MT; father, Dale McDonald (age 101) of Langdon, ND; sister, Joni (Allan) Mirehouse of Holmen, WI; sisters-in-law, Judy McDonald of Fargo, ND, and Donna Miller of Seatac, WA; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Joyce McDonald; brothers, David McDonald, and Gary McDonald; stepmother, Bonnie McDonald; brother-in-law, Paul Miller; and parents-in-law, Donald and Edith Randall.

A celebration of life will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday, February 20th, at Dahl Funeral & Cremation Service. Donations may be made in Doug’s honor to a charity of your choice.