Norman Robert McDonell
May 23, 1924 - November 15, 2018
Obituary
Norman Robert McDonell passed away November 15, 2018 at the age of 94. He was born on May 23, 1924. He was the son of Daniel Robert McDonell and Anne Pauline McDonell. He will always be remembered for his great laugh and his faith in Jesus Christ. He had a passion for salmon fishing in the Puget Sound, and was known for his white squid lure. Norm grew up in Ballard and had a heart for Ballard High School and his Norwegian heritage. His father died when he was 17, and he worked 3 jobs to support his mom. He put himself through the University of Washington in 3 years majoring in forestry. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard as a radio operator in the Atlantic, where he intercepted messages from German submarines that may have saved many lives. Norm married Connie on July 23rd 1949. They moved to Roseburg, Oregon where he worked as a forest firefighter. Later, they moved to Aberdeen where Norm worked for ITT Rayonier Forestry. He and Connie had two children, Dan and Debbie, who were both born in Aberdeen, WA. They moved to University Place, and Norm worked for Weyerhaeuser Company for over 30 years, retiring as the Assistant Tax Director. Norm and Connie were long time members of Grace Lutheran Church. He was also a member of the Elks. He served as the World Hunger Chairman at his church, and was the past president of Nordlandslaget (A club for Northern Norwegians). He is survived by his sister Margaret Schwarzkopf, his son Dan( Tami), daughter Debbie (John), and grandchildren Shannon(Luis), Brent, Joel(Stephanie), Heather, and Katy. Interment is at Tahoma National Cemetery (Kent) on December 3rd at 10:30 a.m. A memorial service will be held at Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines on Saturday, December 1st at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Grace Lutheran Church – ELCA World Hunger. 22975 24th Ave. S, Des Moines, WA 98198