Sylvia Christine McDonald, the loving wife of Dr. Walter E. McDonald, passed away peacefully in her sleep early Wednesday morning, October 13, 2010. She passed with her loving family by her side in Scottsdale, Arizona. Born January 17, 1929 in Wetumpka, Alabama to Mary Lou and Randolph Galloway, Sylvia lived to be 81 years old. She was raised in Gary, Indiana by her aunt and uncle (Katie and Andrew Means). The Gary native graduated from Roosevelt School (K – 12).
After graduating, Sylvia followed her sister Ruth Galloway Weatherford to West Virginia State College and earned a B.A. degree in Biology. There she met and immediately fell in love with her husband of 59 years, Mac. They were married on June 24, 1951. They had four children. Sylvia wore many hats. She was the owner and president of Means Developers, Inc. which built many iconic structures in the U.S. Midwest and in West Africa. As a business woman and pillar of the community, she sat on several boards such as the Gary Redevelopment Board, the Construction of the Gary Genesis Center Board, the Gary Realtors Board and the Jack and Jill of America Board. Sylvia was a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and was very active in both Gary, IN chapter (Sigma Phi Omega) and Phoenix, AZ chapter (Delta Beta Omega).
She was also an active member of the NAACP, the Gary Chamber of Commerce and the Northwest Indiana Contractors Association. Sylvia C. McDonald is survived by her husband, Dr. Walter E. McDonald; four children, Everett (De Etta), Kathy (Johnny Jones), Kevin (Valerie), and Sylvia II; five grandchildren, Walter McDonald III, Jade McDonald, Christine Jones, Johnny Jones and Morgan Walters; four sisters, Ruth Weatherford, Emma Brannon, Minnie Sessom (in-law) and Ruthie McDonald (in-law); and a large extended family. A Memorial Service will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, October 16, 2010 at Messinger Mortuary, 7601 E. Indian School Road, Scottsdale AZ. To leave the family a condolence, please visit www. messingermortuary.com.
