Gerald S. McDonald went to be with the Lord on June 2, 2025 at the age of 61. The son of an U.S. Army Captain, Gerald was born in Okinawa, Japan. A year later, the family moved to Washington, D.C. where his father began working at the Pentagon. They later moved to Arlington, Virginia and Fort Riley, Kansas. When his father was reassigned to Vietnam in 1971, the family moved to his mothers' hometown of Independence, Kansas where they remained.

Gerald graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Civil Engineering and later earned his masters degree in Business Administration. He worked in several capacities over the years including Arco PipeLine (BP), PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM. In 2006, after Hurricane Katrina, Gerald began working in disaster recovery. He was Division Leader and Financial Analyst for RW Block Consulting on the Mississippi Gulf Coast continuing in that field as Senior Consultant for Anser Advisory (Accenture). Gerald was great at numbers, computers and solving problems so found great fulfilment in his work.

Not only did Gerald enjoy computers and writing database programs, he loved cars. He loved driving them, working on them, restoring them and showing them in car shows. Cars were a passion that he liked to refer to as his hobby.

If Gerald wasn't working on a car project, he was building something. He could make just about anything. Furniture, outside decks, floating piers, a shed that looks like a tiny house (with electricity and air conditioning), garden beds, and even a battery powered bicycle. If that wasn't enough to keep him busy, he was researching and installing solar panels. His intelligence and many talents were certainly put to use and he enjoyed it all. Gerald had a quick wit, a great sense of humor and was an awesome chef. He loved to travel, enjoyed cruises and RV camping, and, Gerald had a tender heart for all animals.

Gerald is survived by his wife, Sheri Ainsworth McDonald; his daughters Chelsea Murray (Chris) and Courtney McDonald; his brother James McDonald (Cathy); nieces Melanie Maechler (Marc) and Ashley McDonald; nephew James McDonald; his maternal aunt, Norma Turner; his cousin Pam Giraudon (Michel); nieces Apryl Mauros (Charlie), Jessica Matson (Cameron) and Tiffany Giraudon. He is preceded in death by his mother and father, Geraldine and James W. McDonald; and maternal uncle, Gerald Turner (Ann).