Hartford, Vermont – Donald Hugh MacLeod, Jr., 72, died unexpectedly Tuesday morning, March 26, 2019 at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction, VT.  He was born December 10, 1946 in New York City the son of Donald Sr. and Ruth (Jacobsen) MacLeod.

Donald grew up in Valhalla, New York and graduated from Valhalla High School. He continued his education at Harper College (the State University of New York at Binghamton) where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in math.  He then taught math in Amsterdam, NY.  In 1971 he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed at the Presidio of Monterey (California) where he trained in Arabic Iraqi at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center to be a translator and interpreter, achieving first in his class.  He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal.  He was medically discharged in 1974 and was a member of the Disabled American Veterans and the American Legion, local Post 26 in White River Junction, VT.

Following his discharge he lived in Greensboro, Vermont and then moved to the upper Valley to attend Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College where he earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree.  It was during this time at Thayer that he met Lorinda Mae Brown on a blind date set up by a mutual friend.  They were married December 11, 1982 in Bradford, Vermont.  His employment in the Upper Valley included teaching at local schools, Kiewit Computation of Dartmouth College, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, NH, and Geographic Data Technology in Lyme, NH.   In 1992 he began his favorite computing job working at CRREL (Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory) in Hanover, NH.  This was an exciting time for computing and Don was instrumental in helping CRREL forge the path in joining the World Wide Web.  He enjoyed working there very much and made many wonderful friends.  He retired from CRREL in 2013 but then had the opportunity to work on another programming project on Long Island (he loved computing) and commuted there for another year before his wife said, "It's time to retire!"

Once fully retired, he enjoyed traveling with his wife to visit friends and family, enjoying the outdoors with hiking, biking, and running.  He also enjoyed going to yoga and exercise classes with his wife as well as local concerts and plays.  Retirement allowed him more time to pursue his favorite hobby of all—cooking.  He loved to create great meals and always presented them so artfully.  He thoroughly enjoyed friends and family gathered in the kitchen helping him to slice and dice while keeping him company experimenting with something new.

He loved cats, especially the current cat "Toby" who would take every opportunity to sit on his lap and purr, even while he was doing sit-ups.

He was a member of the GFWC Boosters Club, supporting his wife's involvement with the General Federation of Women's Clubs, an international volunteer service organization.  He was a member of the Greater Hartford United Church of Christ in Hartford Village, VT, and a volunteer at the Bugbee Senior Center in White River Junction, VT.  Don always enjoyed reading and belonged to local book clubs.

He was predeceased by a brother, Robert Bradford MacLeod, who died in 1972.  Donald is survived by his wife Lorinda of Hartford, VT; son, Kevin Bradford MacLeod of Savannah, Georgia; daughter, Alyssa Mae MacLeod of Bethlehem, NH; two sisters, Sandra MacLeod and Jeanne Eisner both of Greensboro, VT, as well as several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held Monday, April 29, 2019 at 2:00 PM at the Greater Hartford United Church of Christ in Hartford Village with Pastor SallyAnn Silfies officiating.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Bugbee Senior Center, 262 North Main Street, White River Junction, VT 05001 or to the Greater Hartford United Church of Christ, PO Box 265, Hartford, VT 05047.