Obituaries

-- Adam Bernstein

Roy J. McDonaldFBI Special Agent

Roy James McDonald, 87, an FBI special agent who worked in the Washington field office from 1961 until his retirement in 1978, died June 5 at Inova Alexandria Hospital. He had congestive heart failure.

Mr. McDonald joined the FBI in 1940 as a messenger in the Washington office. He later worked in various field offices, including Boston and New York, and specialized in criminal investigations. He also worked on the bank robbery squad.

He was born on a farm near Fisher, Minn., and raised in Grand Forks, N.D. He served in the Army Air Forces in the Pacific during World War II. He was a 1949 graduate of the University of San Francisco Law School.

He was an elder at Heritage Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, his city of residence.

His avocations included collecting classical and jazz records.

Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Carolyn Nelson McDonald of Alexandria; two daughters, Margaret McDonald of Alexandria and Lara White of Woodbridge; a granddaughter; and a great-grandson.

-- Adam Bernstein