116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
McDonald, Jill
Jill McDonald, 52, of Oxnard, Calif., died Monday, March 12, 2012, as a result of a car accident.
She was born in Moline, Ill., on July 4, 1959. Jill has been a full-time resident of Oxnard for the past seven years. Jill attended First Presbyterian Church in Oxnard. She was a graduate of Iowa State University and while at ISU she was president of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. Jill worked in the U.S. and internationally as an executive editor in publishing for many different companies, too many to mention here; but her last job was working with Executive Clips Spirit of America in Oxnard.
Jill's family includes her daughter, Hailey of Oxnard; significant other (boyfriend), Mike Warns of Oxnard; father, Duane Thompson; and sister, Toni of Iowa City, Iowa.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Brian McDonald of Ventura, Calif.; and her mom, Sue Thompson of Iowa City.
Jill loved sailing on Mike's sailboat and was often aboard on races. She traveled to Mexico with Mike and Hailey and enjoyed life to the max. Jill enjoyed walking her dog, Buck, and her favorite cat was named Tom. Jill's favorite place to visit was Leech Lake in Minnesota, where her father had a cabin on the lake, where she enjoyed fishing.
Jill and her family lived in the Colony by Oxnard Beach, where she met and had many friends. Jill's love was her daughter, Hailey, who meant the whole world to her. Hailey will be looked after by Mike and continue to reside in Oxnard.
A memorial service celebrating Jill's life will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 4, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Her cremated remains will be inurned at First Presbyterian Church columbarium at a later time.
Online condolences may be sent to Jill's family through the Web at www.gayandciha.com
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to The Hailey College Fund/J. Michael Warns ESQ Trustee, P.O. Box 6448, Oxnard, CA 93031.
Reardon Funeral Home in Oxnard assisted Jill's family with services in California.
Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City is caring for Jill's family and her local services.
Published March 30, 2012 in The Gazette
Daily Newsletters