Robert M. McDonald, 77 CAMBRIDGE - Robert M. McDonald, 77, died peacefully on June 26, 2008, at Dorchester General Hospital, after a short illness. He was born Jan. 9, 1931, in Edgewood, Pa., the son of G. Malcolm and Florence Higgins McDonald. He went to Linsley Military Institute, in Wheeling, W.V. After Linsley he graduated cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science degree. He attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh and graduated with a Medical Doctor degree in 1957. He was awarded membership in the Scholastic Honorary Medical Fraternity AOA. After practicing in Gibsonia, Pa., he moved to Easton in 1965, and opened an office as a family practitioner. Three years later he moved his practice to Oxford, and remained there until 1976. For the next two years he was Chief of Emergency Room Service at Dorchester General Hospital in Cambridge. Following that he joined the staff of Emergency Room Services, Peninsula Regional Medical Center. In 1985, he returned to family practice, opening his office in Easton. Family medicine was the reason he became a doctor and he practiced there until his death. For Dr. Mac (as his patients affectionately called him), medicine went far beyond diagnosing illnesses and handing out prescriptions. He spent more than 40 years caring for his patients, becoming a part of their lives as doctors did in a different age. In fact, his happiest days of practicing medicine were when he saw patients in the office or made house calls and was paid with crabmeat, a duck or goose or a fresh coconut cake. Rob was a member of the AMA, past member of the American Society for Laser Medicine, American Academy of Family Physicians, Maryland Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP), past VP of MAFP, past member on board of directors for MAFP, past member of Maryland Board of Quality Assurance, past Treasurer for Talbot County Medical Society, member Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and was a member of St. Andrew's Society of the Eastern Shore. In his past he was a pilot and loved flying. He held a black belt in karate and practiced martial arts for many years. He was a skier for several years until becoming a scuba diver about fifteen years ago. He loved gardening and could be found many evenings sitting by the pond with his dogs Rose and Stella just relaxing. Rob is survived by his wife of almost 32 years, Judith Ross McDonald of Cambridge; two daughters, Sherry Brooks and her husband, John Brooks of Easton, and Nancy Sue McDonald of Texas; two sons, David McDonald and his wife, Betty McDonald of Glen Arm, Andrew McDonald of Baltimore; a stepdaughter, Cindy Jones and her husband, Jerry Jones of Cambridge; two granddaughters, Shannon Brooks of Easton and Joan McDonald of Glen Arm; four grandsons, John Brooks III and his wife Giovana Brooks of Annandale, Va., Ryan Brooks and his wife, Jaclyn Brooks of Johnson City, Tenn., Robert McDonald and William McDonald of Glen Arm; 3 great-grand children, John Brooks IV, Brennan Brooks and Olivia Brooks; one stepgrandson, Thomas Paul Jones; one sister, Nancy Sutherland of Mt. Lebanon, Pa., and numerous nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends on July 11 at Thomas Funeral Home in Cambridge from 6 to 9 pm. On July 12 there will be a service at St. Paul's United Methodist Church on Maryland Ave. in Cambridge at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers he requested that donations be made to Snip/Tuck, Inc., 5 West End Ave. Cambridge, MD 21613, a newly-formed local nonprofit charity that provides spay/neuter for feral cat colonies. In addition to caring for people, Dr. Mac was an animal lover and wanted to be involved with this charity in the hopes that eventually every animal born would be wanted, cared for and loved.