Tom McDonald’s children can be forgiven if they mistook their father for Superman.
The 77-year-old husband, father and grandfather was not only a CPA, an army veteran, a Mosquito Board commissioner, an FKAA board member, an Upper Keys Rotarian and a church founder, but he also practiced karate — every day.
Perhaps not even a speeding bullet or Kryptonite could stop him.
“Many little girls grow up thinking their dad is Superman,” his daughter, Anna, said at the packed Dec. 2 celebration of life at Murray Nelson Government Center. “Well, I’m a few years older now and I still think that.”
“He was a humble legend,” said his daughter Kelley.
In the end, it was not Kryptonite that took him down, but a simple bicycle. While on vacation in Tennessee, he crashed his bike while on a ride with his grandchildren.
“It was instant,” his best friend of almost 40 years, lawyer Nick Mulick, told Keys Weekly. “It was a brain stem injury and all function had ceased. There was no pain.”
He was on life support for a few days before his family made the painful decision on Nov. 9. After speaking with loved ones, one can’t help but feel that McDonald would have accepted that.
“Tom was sure he was going to heaven,” Mulick said. “He used to say, ‘Nick, I’m ready to go. I’ve had a full life.’ That struck me.”
At the celebration, a slideshow showed photo after photo of a life well-lived: with his beloved wife, Rosie; with his children Sean, Kelley, Katie, Alyssa and Anna; during his West Virginia childhood; with large groups of friends (and often holding a plastic cup of beer); and as a younger man, standing on a beach at the edge of surf, extending his arms wide for balance, as if taking a large embrace.
As McDonald’s friends and family paid respects, they echoed the feeling that while he was very accomplished, he wasn’t perfect — and he didn’t take himself too seriously.
“It’s a little warm in here, so I’ll take off my jacket,” said Mulick at the celebration’s podium, revealing a tropical-print shirt to much laughter.
Monroe County state attorney Dennis Ward said McDonald was part of a group called “The Lunch Bunch,” which met every Friday to discuss current events. McDonald, a staunch Republican, would often show his mischievous side.
“Sometimes things got heated, and Tom was right in the middle of it,” Ward said. “Sometimes people wouldn’t show up for a few weeks.”
The hang-out was started by state house representative Ken Sorensen about 15 years prior. People were invited to attend based on their work in the community and potential chemistry with the group, which was a revolving cast of characters that included, among many others, Islamorada council members Buddy Pinder and Bob Johnson and county commissioner Sylvia Murphy.
Ward and Mulick invited Keys Weekly to attend the Lunch Bunch on a recent Friday (we can confirm that one better have thick skin to withstand the hazing).
Attendees that day also included hotel manager retiree Neil Boyce and Islamorada resident Mirna Hormechea.
“What happens in Lunch Bunch stays in Lunch Bunch,” said Boyce.
“If you can’t abuse your friends, who can you abuse?” Ward said, jokingly.
“I’m not listening,” Hormechea replied, straight-faced while looking at her phone.
The only time the group fell silent was at the mention of McDonald’s name.
A few days later, Mulick confirmed on the phone that McDonald is missed so deeply by the Lunch Bunch that his passing is still hard to talk about.
Longtime friend Mary Pruett, along with her husband, Darel, bought a church in Tavernier together with McDonald, naming it Pearl Christian Church.
“He was always basing his life on what God wanted,” she said. “Decisions were made based on the scriptures, which he read daily.”
Pruett pointed out that McDonald would often perform acts of kindness, such as picking up a friend from the nursing home to go to church and then grocery store.
“He has left a big hole in a lot of people’s lives,” she said.
“Tom and I were inseparable,” Mulick said about his best friend. “What does one do? I’m not going to replace him. I don’t know anyone that was as decent and kind as he was.”
His loved ones are trying to move forward.
Mulick said he and McDonald enjoyed the Lunch Bunch every Friday as a way to have a few laughs and decompress after a challenging work week.
“And when it’s all over, we say goodbye,” he said. “When we leave, we’re smiling.”
GOVERNOR APPOINTS BETTE BROWN TO FILL McDONALD’S MOSQUITO BOARD SEAT
By Jim McCarthy
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Tavernier resident and retired banker Bette Brown to fill the Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board seat formerly held by Tom McDonald.
The governor’s announcement came the morning of Dec. 19, as Brown joins the five-member board of commissioners. Brown will take her seat on the board for the first meeting of 2024 on Jan. 16 at Marathon City Hall.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Brown told the Keys Weekly on the morning of Dec. 20. “Tom was a really good friend of mine, I’m kind of sad and happy all in one. I miss him already. I’m excited about the opportunity. It should be interesting.”
Brown previously served as the executive vice president and chief credit officer for Community Bank of Florida. A resident of Monroe County for over 40 years, she was previously appointed to the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Board of Governors and is a member of the Upper Keys Rotary Club board. Brown earned a bachelor’s degree from Stetson University.
