Lynn (Milligan) MacDonald 1941 - 2021

Lynn MacDonald, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, school board member, poet, author, community leader and friend passed on the morning of August 6, 2021 after a two-year battle with cancer.Lynn was born in Oakland, CA on December 11, 1941, to William and Melva Milligan, days after Pearl Harbor when the hospital windows were still darkened. She was the middle child of three siblings raised in Berkeley and El Cerrito. She attended Portola middle school and El Cerrito High School where she met her future husband, Thompson Robert "Bob" MacDonald. She went on to graduate from San Francisco State University, earning her teaching credential. Lynn and Bob were married on June 16, 1962.Lynn and Bob moved to Colfax, CA in 1973 after living in Reno, NV and Sacramento, CA. In Colfax, the couple built a home, raised three children, and were active in the community. Lynn was a substitute teacher and taught home school. In 1978, Lynn was elected to the Placer Union High School District as a trustee where she would remain a board member until 2021. Over her four decades on the school board, she shared her passion to provide the best education for the students and support teacher education. Her advocacy led to many improvements in the school system, Bond measures for school infrastructure, to fund lights for Colfax High School football field, and the opening of Foresthill High School. Her commitment to teacher education was honored by the Placer Union High School District with the naming of the adult learning center after her and she was very proud of the Lynn MacDonald Education Center that was dedicated October 2018.Lynn was happy to have friends and family nearby. Her home was a center of drop in visits, impromptu parties, planned events and hanging out listening to music. She welcomed all, listened and learned what was important to the individual and celebrated each person. Lynn loved the beach in Aptos and Sand Harbor in Lake Tahoe. She played the mandolin and her love for music was passed on to each of her grandchildren.Lynn is survived by her husband Bob, her three children; Elizabeth, Marilyn and Robert, six grandsons; Blake, Grant, Robert, Bradley, Alex and William and one great granddaughter Victoria, her brother-in-law Bridgman and her two sisters-in-law, Marion and Nancy.In lieu of flowers or other gifts, a donation to Colfax High School- Athletics fund. Donations can be mailed to Colfax High School, 24995 Ben Taylor Rd, Colfax, CA 95713.