Posted on 01/27/2018
Alexander Dalzell MacDonell, Jr.
When an exceptional leader passes on, both the family and the broader community feel an acute sense of loss. They also pause to take account of how fortunate it was to be part of his life.
So it has been when Alexander Dalzell MacDonell, Jr., died in Lima, Ohio, on January 24, 2018, at the age of 90.
Sandy's career was built as a banker. He came to the Metropolitan Bank of Lima in 1956 and rose to president, then CEO, and chairman in the ensuing decades. Sandy continued to serve after engineering the successful merger of the Met with Bank One, now JPMorgan Chase, finally retiring in 1990.
Beyond his role at the bank, Sandy was part of many efforts at community improvement. He chaired the United Way drive, co-chaired the campaign to finance the Lima Civic Center, and led the effort to raise funds for a new YMCA, to name a few. Sandy worked hard at helping others who faced financial stress, often with his own money and frequently anonymously.
Sandy was born in Lima on June 6, 1927, the son of Alexander D. MacDonell and Mary Wynne MacDonell. He grew up with his brother John (Sally) MacDonell and sister Jean (Tom) MacDonell Weis, who live in Lima. He attended the Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, Denison University and the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War.
Sandy graduated in 1951 from Denison, where he met Martha Jean Shorts. They were married in 1953 and spent 65 years together. She continues to live in Lima, where she has contributed energetic leadership to the arts and to education in the county and the State of Ohio.
Sandy and Martie have two children. Son Richard Parker MacDonell and his wife Betsy live in Worthington, Ohio, with children Lindsey MacDonell and Alexander Dalzell MacDonell III. Daughter Amy Wynne MacDonell lives in Indianapolis with her husband Randall Shepard and daughter Martha MacDonell Shepard.
Visitation will be on Sunday, January 28, from 3-6 p.m., at Chiles-Laman Funeral Home. Funeral services will be at Market Street Presbyterian Church at 1 p.m. on Monday, January 29.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be sent in Sandy's memory to the Lima Family YMCA, 345 S. Elizabeth St., Lima 45801, or to Denison University, 100 West College St., Granville, OH 43023.
Condolences may be expressed at chiles-lamanfh.com.
Published in the The Indianapolis Star on Jan. 26, 2018