Obituary for Ronald J. McDougald
Ronald Jean McDougald, born March 5, 1939, lived 80 athletic years until his death on January 16, 2020. A lover of family, trees, running, and Scottish Country Dancing, he was born in the town of Crockett, Houston County, Texas. Moving 14 times while growing up, he graduated from highschool in Redondo Beach, California. He went on to earn his undergraduate degree, on a full scholarship, from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. After studying to become a CPA, Ron was a tax attorney until his gradual retirement. He raised a family in Lincoln, MA where he lived until his recent move to Cambridge, then Waltham for care.
Ron was an athlete who ran 27 marathons, including 17 Boston marathons, in addition to many road races and triathlons. He was an avid swimmer who regularly swam across nearby Walden Pond. He enjoyed tennis, kayaking, canoeing, cross country skiing, wilderness adventures, and other travel. Ron was highly inquisitive, playful, an avid reader, and a poet. He loved movies and he loved to laugh. He spent the last 29 years as an active member of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society of Boston. He also attended the Church of The Covenant. Ron's zest for life was infectious, and he will be missed by a large community of family and friends.
Ron leaves behind his beloved companion of 29 years, Joan Hill, of Cambridge, MA; his daughter, Ruthie Kinch, of Brooklyn, NY; his son, Douglas McDougald and his son-in-law, David Glauner, of Stow, MA; and his grandchildren, Olivia, Bella, and Savannah Kinch, of Brooklyn, NY. He is also survived by the mother of his children, Kathleen McDougald-Lee, his nephew David Sutton, many cousins, and the children and grandchildren of his companion. Ron will be interred in his family plot at the Doulass Cemetery, in Houston County Texas later this spring.
Ron was an athlete who ran 27 marathons, including 17 Boston marathons, in addition to many road races and triathlons. He was an avid swimmer who regularly swam across nearby Walden Pond. He enjoyed tennis, kayaking, canoeing, cross country skiing, wilderness adventures, and other travel. Ron was highly inquisitive, playful, an avid reader, and a poet. He loved movies and he loved to laugh. He spent the last 29 years as an active member of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society of Boston. He also attended the Church of The Covenant. Ron's zest for life was infectious, and he will be missed by a large community of family and friends.
Ron leaves behind his beloved companion of 29 years, Joan Hill, of Cambridge, MA; his daughter, Ruthie Kinch, of Brooklyn, NY; his son, Douglas McDougald and his son-in-law, David Glauner, of Stow, MA; and his grandchildren, Olivia, Bella, and Savannah Kinch, of Brooklyn, NY. He is also survived by the mother of his children, Kathleen McDougald-Lee, his nephew David Sutton, many cousins, and the children and grandchildren of his companion. Ron will be interred in his family plot at the Doulass Cemetery, in Houston County Texas later this spring.