Alex Macdonald II

Born on Dec. 14, 1946, and raised alongside his sister Judy in Pasadena by artist and mother Julia Macdonald, Alexander Macdonald II, better known as Pops, left this world by a sudden and tragic tractor accident on his road south of Ketchum on Thursday afternoon, Dec. 16, 2021.

Although he left us too quickly to say goodbye, he also left a legacy founded in love and rich in memories. Memories that captured our imaginations as the best of any folklore could, but these stories were founded in truth and integrity, from a life of unmatched experience and a little bit of luck. Stories that would ignite our senses and burn late into the night. Pops fought hard in life and survived many battles, some of which were very real, including the Vietnam War, though bullets and land mines tried to cut his life short.

With his loving wife, Gina, of 52 years and youngest son at the time, Felan, he ventured by VW bus to the interior and remote depths of British Columbia, Canada, to ranch cattle in a cabin by kerosene lamp and no running water. After discovering the fortunes of selling cattle and commodities on the Chicago Board of Trade, he moved his family with an addition of two sons, Luke and Alex, to a smaller ranch south of Bellevue, Idaho, in 1979. There he built a business in true entrepreneur fashion within the intricacies of the oil and gas industry. The Wood River Valley became his home and there he grew the roots for his family to this day. The Valley became home base for many adventures locally in the mountains and others around the world, many of which included surf trips to the edges of civilization where maps could hardly reach. He grew up both skiing and surfing, which he loved more than any other activity on this planet. Whether he was happiest dropping in on a wave in Honolua, laying first tracks in fresh powder on Baldy, flyfishing for monster trout on the Henry’s Fork river, or picking rocks and weeds until scraping the crust of the Earth, there is nothing he loved more than family, evident by the fact he would drop everything and anything at a moment’s notice to be there for any of his kids, or grandkids: Adrielle, Connor Mcmahan, Crow, Canyon, Merlin, Elise, Dawson Torres, Cruz Torres and Sole Spigner.

He is survived by all aforementioned and more: daughters-in-law, Jamie Macdonald and Cecilee Heath; nieces, Rhea Foley and Rebecca Goethals; nephews, Robb Parkins, Jareth McBrehon and Nathan Modisette.

He was a moral compass, an ambassador of goodwill, a friend and father to many. He leaves this world a better place and people better versions of themselves. The most important person in his life, Gina, is the reason he could live out this amazing life and love the family he always wanted. She is now surrounded by all the arms of the family tree, each with roots nourished by their endless support.

Together we are planning a celebration of life for late spring or early summer, time and place to be determined. Please refer to the Facebook page created for Alex Macdonald II, aka Pops. There will be no indoor service in the interim. In lieu of a service or flowers, please consider a small donation to either the Southern Poverty Law Center (https://www.splcenter.org,) or the Nature Conservancy of Idaho (https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/unitedstates/idaho/), as these are the organizations Pop’s was passionate to support.