Forever missed, Sister Terri Macdonald

Terri Lynn Routt Macdonald passed away on January 28, 2023, at the age of 62. She was born on March 4, 1960, to Larry and Joan (Glasscock) Routt in Joliet, Illinois where Terri lived for a good portion of her life. 

In 1987, Terri met Bill (aka “Mac”) Macdonald at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. They were married in 1989, lived in Joliet for ten years then made a home together in New Harmony, Utah where they lived until 2015 before moving to Saint George. 

Terri grew up in an abusive home with alcoholic parents so when she and Mac heard the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they did not hesitate to join this “family of saints” and together were baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 16, 2006. A year later they were sealed for time and eternity in the Saint George Temple. 

Terri graduated from Dixie State University’s nursing school in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree then went on to earn a master’s degree from Walden University from which she graduated Magna Cum Laude.  But as much as she enjoyed working at Intermountain Health for two decades, her two sons Rick and Ryan were her pride and joy.

Terri was honored with the Nursing Excellence Award in 2013 and the Intermountain Healthcare Hero Award in 2018. In her 20 years at (now) St. George Regional, she worked hard to make a difference in the hospital experience for everyone she met or served.

She was a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears and Disneyland. She loved all children and enjoyed making them feel they were the most important thing in her life, because they were. She was very protective of children not wanting any other child to be subjected to the abuse she experienced as a child. Her favorite calling in the Church was teaching in the Primary.

She and Mac enjoyed riding motorcycles and Terri – very much "a kid" and a charter member of “Grannies Gone Wild” - could often be found outdoors hiking, camping, or watching her grandkids play sports. She loved traveling the country; annual trips to Disneyland or cruises with her cousins and "Ginger" Terri and Mac’s newest pup. 

Terri was loving and trusting; believed most people were good, smart, hardworking, protective of those who needed her strength, marched to the beat of her own drum and ran her own race.

She is survived by her husband Mac, son Rick of Seattle, Washington; adopted daughter Sarah Green and her husband Jared and their children: Anna, Jessica, Porter, David and Jared of Washington City, Utah, her adopted sister Ursula Davies of Saint George, Utah; her sister-in-law, Darlene Macdonald of Joliet, Illinois, and many beloved cousins.  She is preceded in death by her son Ryan, brother Larry (aka “Buster”) and her parents.

Funeral services were held on Saturday, February 4, 2023, in the Manzanita chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Saint George.  She was laid to rest at Tonaquint Cemetery.