Cleve McDonald

May 23, 2025

Cleve McDonald, longtime Alaskan resident, died May 23, 2025.

Cleve was a Vietnam veteran and a family man whose life was characterized by generosity, kindness and outreach in helping other people. Coming from a family with a long history of military service, honoring veterans and actively supporting the work of the Veterans Administration was his mission. His participation in the Alaskan community of pilots is legendary. As a pilot with Alaska Airlines, a bush pilot, a guide for hunting and fishing, and as a member of the Alaska Airmen's Association, Cleve was well known and respected for his aviation knowledge and experience in Alaska. He was also a skilled mountaineer who climbed the Seven Summits, the highest mountain on every continent. He graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, and retired to Florida, where he became a volunteer with "Take Stock in Children," a program that provides mentors for students. Cleve was a remarkable man who spent his days on earth with integrity and in service of country, family and friends.

He is survived by his longtime partner, Terri J. Smith; mother, Iris McDonald; sisters Tina Lang, Sandra McDonald and Teresa Baldwin; and cousins, Harry McDonald, John Carlisle McDonald, Patricia McDonald and Timothy McDonald.

The family asks those who knew him to join them in celebrating all that Cleve was, all that he contributed to others in the course of his life, and for his unfathomable embrace of adventure. A gathering for family and friends will be held in Anchorage, Alaska, in late September 2025. Donations can be made to the Association of Vietnam Veterans of America.