Donald John McQuaid

Our Father Donald John McQuaid was born on December 27, 1934 to parents Anthony and Helen McQuaid. He spent his early days between San Francisco and Marysville with his sister Louise. Don was a very proud graduate of St. Agnes school in San Francisco and went to Washington High School. His next stop was San Francisco State where he became a Stockbroker. One evening Don went to a party with his good friends Jim and Ruth McKeever where he met our Mother Pat. As the saying goes and the rest was history. In June of 1957 Don and Pat were married and soon welcomed their first baby Allison followed by Scott and Matthew. Our Mothers love for the Russian River inspired our parents to purchase the River House. As most families with second homes in Guerneville did back then, my father would spend M-F working and return on the weekends, always with a story of how he beat the traffic and made the 90min drive in record time. Many weekends were enjoyed with family and friends at the cabin. In 1970 our father accepted a job in New York and moved the family to Chatham Township New Jersey. They lived there for four years driving back and forth to California spending summers up at the river. In December of 1974 they moved back to San Francisco with what my father called “a pleasant surprise “ Pat was pregnant with their last child. Welcoming Megan in 1975. Working at the Pacific Stock Exchange and moving to West Portal was a very happy time for my father. We lived a stones throw away from the McKeever family. Cocktails with Jim in the afternoons and Golf on the weekends were some of my dad’s favorite things to do. Many many good times with his best man Al Rizzo and his family, Jazz Festivals spent with Bob and Daphne Olson, or crazy cruise adventures with Howie and Dede Powelson were just some of the stories we as his children heard on repeat. If there was one thing everyone could agree on about our Father it was that he had an amazing sense of style. Mr. Fancy Pants or Dapper Don - no one could pull off a seersucker suit like him. Our father was a great representative for Nordstrom, where he worked for over 15 years selling Men’s suits and later Patrick James here in Santa Rosa. At Nordstrom he was known as the Candy Man because he always shared his bag of lemon drops or his stash of See’s candy. Both the See’s candy locations in Stonestown and the one conveniently next door to Patrick James knew our father by first name. Big Band music was the music my father appreciated the most. Cole Porter Keely Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett and of course Ol’ Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra were always playing. He loved a good party. Big holiday dinners, small family dinners or just sitting with his friends on the back porch with his favorite cocktail always in hand. The second you walked in the door it was “What can I make you to drink?”. Gin Fizzes, Margarita and a strong Manhattan were always offered and always a bit heavy handed. The Oakmont Dominoes Club was a big pastime for our father. He never missed a Thursday game unless totally necessary. Sundays were dedicated to watching or listening to the San Francisco 49ers games. In the early days he had season tickets to Kezar Stadium. Baseball was probably his favorite sport. A dedicated Giants fan going to windy Candlestick Park with him meant you were going to be filling in all the runs in the program. An art form that has been long forgotten. Dad had an amazing work ethic that he definitely passed on to us as his children. He would still be working today if he could. In the later years it helped to keep his mind going and gave him a social outlet after our Mother passed. His love for Family and his children’s extended families and life long friends were everything to him. To those friends from his school days at St.Agnes, The Rizzo Family, The McKeever Family and Manny, The Olson, and Powelson families he is smiling down now waiting to pour you a cocktail the next time he sees you. The proudest moment in his life was when he became a Papa. Sean, Andrew, Luke and Abigail you are and will always be the most important part of his heart. Welcoming his Great Grandson Dalton made his life complete.

Donald John McQuaid

December 27, 1934 - February 20, 2023