NEWSPAPER ARTICLE:  Ranald J. McDONALD, Eau Claire, Dies of Heart Attack

====================================================================
USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information 
on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as 
this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may 
NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other 
persons or organizations.

Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes 
other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file 
contributor, or the legal representative of the contributor, and contact 
the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent.   The submitter 
has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently 
for free access.

This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by:  
Pete McDonald  <pete@pmcd.com>  7 September 2001	
====================================================================

Wednesday, September 11, 1946.

Stricken at Wheel of Car, 'Ranny' McDonald  Dies of Heart Attack

Ranald J. McDonald, 69, of 1006 Sixth avenue and a resident of Eau Claire 
most of his life, died shortly before noon today of a heart attack.

He was stricken in his car while driving towards Mondovi on Highway 37 
shortly before 11 o'clock this morning and was three miles north of that 
city at the time.

Although he was apparently dead when the Eau Claire police ambulance arrived, 
he was hurried to Luther Hospital. Oxygen was administered on the trip but 
on arrival at the hospital be was pronounced dead.

Mr. McDonald was alone in the car at the time. Connected with the auction 
service department of the Eau Claire Citizens Loan, he was on his way to a 
farm auction sale near Mondovi when one of his tires went flat. Bert Horan, 
who is also with the Eau Claire Citizens Loan and who was on his way to 
appraise some cattle on another farm nearby, and who was accompanied by Romy 
Christopherson, a farmer, came upon McDonald as he was starting to change 
the tire.

Mr. McDonald had jacked up the car, Horan said, and Christopherson and he 
stopped and changed the tire for him. Noting that the spare apparently was 
not in the best of shape, Mr. McDonald, Horan said, told them he was going 
to drive into town and have it fixed, and asked them if they would drive 
behind him and watch the tire. If they noted that the tire was going down he 
instructed Horan to sound his horn, and he would stop.

Mr. McDonald started off slowly, Horan said, and he drove along behind him. 
When he saw the tire begin to flatten out after going a short distance, he 
honked his horn, Horan said, and it was then that he noticed the McDonald 
car begin to zigzag from one aide of the road to the other. Next he saw the 
driver slump over the wheel, and the car go off the side of the road into 
the ditch.

Christopherson and he ran to the car, he said, but Mr. McDonald was 
apparently dead. While Christopherson remained with the stricken man, Horan 
ran to the nearest farm house and telephoned for the police ambulance. By 
this time two other members of the Citizens Loan organization, Robert Olson 
and Orland Peterson, both also on their way to the same auction for which 
Mr. McDonald was headed, came along in their car, and noting the car in the 
ditch, stopped. They remained with Horan and Christopherson until the 
ambulance arrived.

To see Mr. Ranald McDonald's obituary visit this link 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/wi/eauclaire/obituaries/mcdonran.txt
or go to the Obituaries Section of these archives