Donald MacKenzie

Donald R. MacKenzie, 93, passed away on August 14, 2025. Don was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and special friend to many. He was born November 16, 1931, and grew up in Freeport Illinois, where he graduated as a proud Freeport High School Pretzel in 1949. As a boy, he worked mowing lawns and delivering newspapers to help his family, later taking jobs at a bowling alley and then at the famous Union Dairy where he developed his life-long love of ice cream. He was drafted into the army and was a radio operator in the Korean War. After his service, he attended DeVry Technical Institute in Chicago. He was recruited by Sandia National Laboratories, where he began a 37-year career as an electronic technician in the wind tunnel facility. Shortly after moving to Albuquerque, he began looking for a church, and quickly found one with a beautiful, kind, and intelligent secretary, Estelle, who became his wife in 1957.

Don and Estelle made a home filled with faith, love, and service, always welcoming extended family and friends. They remained very active in church life at Heights Baptist Church, and later at Eastern Hills Baptist Church. They loved to travel and made wonderful memories and stories of road trips and more. Don was a giving philanthropist, supporting his Church, academic research, and numerous organizations that provide direct aid to people in need. Don had a passion for bowling, loved music and enjoyed singing hymns. He was a life-long fan of the Chicago Cubs and enjoyed attending Isotopes games with family and friends. Never without his pocket protector and screwdriver, he could build and fix just about anything from control systems at Sandia to home plumbing, carpentry, and rebuilding car engines. Making up puns and funny phrases was a skill he used to entertain us all. Ice cream every day was a habit he maintained to the end.

Don is survived by his children, Sheri Martinez and husband LeeRoy, Debra MacKenzie and husband, Todd Thompson; grandchildren, Sara Brasher and husband, John, Lydia Bradshaw and husband, Clay, Kelsey Thompson and husband, Rush Radwany, and Jaron Thompson and wife, Wendy Sunada; great-grandsons, Jack Brasher, Sebastian Brasher, Oliver Bradshaw, and Rowan Bradshaw; sister, Agatha Pudlas; and numerous close extended family members. He was preceded in death by his wife, Estelle Dawson MacKenzie; parents, Colin and Marie (Bloom) MacKenzie, sister, Jo Anne Valkema, and brother, Grant MacKenzie.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the wonderful staff at the Village at Alameda, who cared for him with infinite kindness and provided ice cream with caramel sauce as needed.

A lunch and visitation will be held at Eastern Hills Baptist Church on Saturday, August 23, 2025 at 11:15am, followed by a Funeral Service. Following the service will be interment at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the New Mexico ALS Chapter, Saranam, or the Multiple Sclerosis Society.