James M. Macdonald

James M. MacDonald, 63, of Cedar Grove, formerly of Hackensack, passed away at Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair on Thursday afternoon, January 18th.

He was born in Teaneck to the late James A., Jr. and Margaret M. (Hoar) MacDonald and grew up in Maywood and Wood Ridge.

He graduated from Wood Ridge High School in 1978 and went on to earn a diploma as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) from the School of Practical Nursing at Bergen Pines County Hospital in 1989. He worked at that facility and the Veterans Memorial Home in Paramus until retiring in 2015.

James was an excellent nurse, giving of himself, above and beyond, in the care of his patients. He was an avid reader, eschewing television from an early age; he had a consuming passion for chess and was always tuned in to the news of the world; he loved listening to different kinds of music from all over the globe; having taught himself to play several instruments, he loved to write, play and record music with his friends.

He relished having a bagel & coffee and a smoke in the morning as he surveyed the world outside some of his favorite haunts in Maywood and Hackensack, where he lived most of his adult life.

He is predeceased by his parents, James and Margaret, and his brother Kevin. He is survived by his youngest brother, Michael, of Lyndhurst, and his feline companion, Phearum, whom he dearly missed in the last months of his life, residing at Arbor Glen Rehabilitation Center in Cedar Grove. He will be dearly missed by those who knew him well.

A Funeral Mass will be held for James at Our Lady of Mount Carmel R.C. Church in Lyndhurst at 10am on Thursday, January 25th, followed by the inurnment of his cremains at Holy Cross Mausoleum in North Arlington. Funeral arrangements under the direction of Ippolito-Stellato Funeral Home of Lyndhurst.

Please consider making a donation in his memory to the Center for Food Action of NJ by going to their website at www.cfanj.org.