Jay "Buzz" McDonald

October 10, 1934 - December 25, 2023

Jay “Buzz” McDonald, 89, passed away December 25th in Winnemucca, Nevada surrounded by his family.
Buzz, as he was known to family and friends, was born on October 10th, 1934 in Hinckley, Utah to Giles and Maud McDonald.
Buzz graduated from LDS Seminaries on May 13,1951 and Hinckley High School on May 19th, 1952.
Not long after high school he moved to Winnemucca, where he started working for Standard Oil Company.
He went on to operate many service stations throughout the years, including the infamous Uncle Buzz’s Mini Mart located inside the Shell Gas Station on Winnemucca Boulevard.
During his time here he was very active in the community, he coached little league basketball, revived stock car racing, sold used cars, and was an advisor in the local Humboldt County High School Rodeo Association.
Buzz served in the National Guard of Nevada, Battery B 1st Gun (Skysweeper) 221st Artillery.
He served as the head of the kitchen staff and was honorably discharged on March 19th,1960. In 1983.
Buzz was awarded “Man of the Year’’ by the Humboldt County Chamber of Commerce.
In his later years of life, Buzz was known as the “Taxi Driver”. He worked for the Winnemucca Cab Company for many years up to his second retirement and enjoyed meeting new people and telling stories throughout the years.
Shortly after moving to Winnemucca, he met his wife, Jean Beatty.
They met at the Sonoma Inn, where Jean worked as a waitress. They married not long after meeting on October 20th,1955.
They share two wonderful children together, as well as 4 grandchildren. Buzz and Jean have created many wonderful memories throughout the 68 years that they’ve shared together.
Buzz was a husband, brother, father, and grandfather. Some of his favorite things in life were to fish, especially at Wild Horse Reservoir, to make homemade ice cream for any occasion, and to have any excuse to gather as a family.
He was a friend to anyone he met and was known for his humor, outgoing personality, and being the best storyteller. His one-of-a-kind character will be missed by many.
Buzz is preceded in death by eight of his nine siblings.
He is survived by his wife Jean, his son Rick (Gayle) McDonald, daughter Cindy (Pat) Michael, grandchildren, Mandy McDonald, Joseph (Gideon) McDonald-Munger, McKenzie Michael and Hattie Michael and his sister, Virginia Smith.
A celebration of life will be held for Buzz on Saturday, February 3rd at 1:00pm at the Winnemucca Convention Center (West Hall).