William “Bill” McDonald, age 81, passed away October 23, 2022.
The family will hold a private celebration of his life.
Bill was born May 10, 1941 in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada to Florence Croft and Joseph McDonald. Bill received his PhD from the University of Oregon. He taught literature in the English Department at Baylor University for 43 years where he was highly respected by his colleagues as a mentor, confidant, listener, thinker and baker of amazing cheesecakes. Bill was an avid reader and described his work at Baylor as the perfect job because he got to read books and talk about them. He also loved to travel with friends and family whether it was by car to the Okanagan Valley in Canada or by plane overseas to Europe.
Bills was preceded in death by his parents.
Those left to cherish his memory include daughter, Carol Davis and husband James Davis; grandchild, William Davis; son, Joe McDonald; sisters, Gerry and husband Darrell Payne, and Joanne and husband Allen Hamel; along with other extended family members.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Cameron Park Zoological and Botanical Society or to NPR.
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Carol sending you love and peace. I lost my father 10/27/2015 and know the pain. Your father sounds like an amazing man. I am particularly impressed he supported NPR!
RIP Bill. You are much missed.
I am so sorry Bill has passed away; I valued his friendship very much. For the past 42 years at Baylor. Bill was one of the most tolerant persons I have every met, and one of the kindest. His capacity to listen to the troubles of others, without divulging his own, was legendary in the Baylor English Department. He was the rarest of human beings.
We are so sorry to hear of Bill’s passing. He was a true friend and amazing raconteur. We treasure our Starbuck’s visits and literature recommendations. His cheesecakes were heavenly, and his generosity was well-known and appreciated. Many prayers for comfort and peace to all of his family.
RIP, Bill🙏🏻My sincere condolences to Bill’s family and friends.
Bill’s death leaves a hole that will never quite be filled. His wry sense of humor, his at-will gruffness (never used in malice), his incredible range of knowledge of modern literature, and his overall just plain decency–all these do not go far enough in describing this remarkable man. For those who knew him, 81 years was not enough.
Bill was such a dear friend to me! I will miss him forever.
I am saddened to see this. He was a kind man, and an amazing friend to my Dad, Roy Mack. My condolences to his family and friend.