Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

July 7, 2024

CHARLOTTE – Jeanne Harrison MacDonald, 94, died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, July 7, 2024 having been cared for by her loving family in her final days.  A native of Charlotte, she was the daughter of John Henry Harrison, Jr. of Brinkleyville, NC and Margaret Cabell Stokes of Blackstone, VA.  She grew up in the Eastover neighborhood and was a member of Myers Park Presbyterian Church, where she met her late, beloved husband, Rev. Dr. Charles Ray MacDonald.  The couple lived in Greensboro, NC; Richmond, VA; Fairfield, VA; and Hopewell, VA before settling in Wilmington, DE for twenty-one years and then moving to Plymouth, MI.  They retired in Charlotte. 

Jeanne was a great lady and a strong and faithful woman, who lived with perseverance, hope and grace. She was quite gifted as a painter and needlepoint artist, and was never happier than when sitting in front of an easel with her watercolors.  In Wilmington, DE, she was an Activities Director at a senior center, owned and ran a needlepoint shop and enjoyed being a docent at Winterthur, a premier museum of American decorative arts displayed at the Henry Francis du Pont estate.  In Michigan, she was a docent at  the Cranbrook Art Museum and the Plymouth Historical Museum.

Jeanne was an early advocate of women's rights and was involved in many capacities in the churches where her husband served.  When they retired in Charlotte, she became a Stephen Minister and an Elder at Myers Park Presbyterian church, where she also served on a Regional Aids Interfaith Network team and served through their outreach program as a tutor at Billingsley Elementary School.  Up until the last month of her life, she wrote condolence notes to members of Myers Park who lost loved ones. She was a committed member of P.E.O., a women's philanthropic organization whose mission is to support women throughout the world advance through education. Her most important role, though, was being a dedicated and caring wife and mother and grandmother, and we are grateful to have been able to have her in our lives for so long. 

She is survived by her daughter, Susan MacDonald Roddey and spouse Hunter, of Charlotte, and son, Robert “Bob” Charles MacDonald and spouse Margaret “Peggy” of Leicester, NC, and four grandchildren - Melanie and Ross MacDonald, and Harrison and Caroline Roddey.  She was predeceased by her husband of 66 years, Charles; her daughter, Joan; and her sister Margaret “Peggie” Austin. 

Jeanne's Memorial Service will be held at 12:00 PM on Monday, July 15, 2024 at Myers Park Presbyterian Church with a reception following the service. The Rev. Allison Messick Watkins will officiate the service. For those unable to attend, the service will be livestreamed at the following link: www.myersparkpres.org/live

Gifts in her memory can be made to Myers Park Presbyterian Church Memorial Donations or P.E.O. International P.E.O. Internation Donations

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.