Mary Judith McDonald

Mary Judith “Judy” McDonald, an amazing wife, mother, portrait artist and doll maker, died Sept. 4 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Judy (Riggle) McDonald was born in 1944 in Southgate, Calif., and moved to Canoga Park just before she entered high school. After graduation, she took a gap year and then enrolled at San Fernando Vally State College (now CSUN) where she majored in art. It was at college where she met a persistent young man named Dave McDonald, and in January 1966 they were married. In November of that year they welcomed their first child, a son, Sean. Three years later their daughter, Lauren, was born in October 1969. In the 1970s, Judy took up macrame and started taking oil painting classes, and soon she started teaching both. In the late 1970’s she began her series of portraits of clowns in the oil and switched to color pencils in the 1980’s. By the 1990s she became a successful commission portraitist. Her work in the 1990s evolved to an Americana style of still life and landscapes, and she started mixing watercolors with her colored pencils. With the coming of the new century Judy began creating dolls, after the style of Izannah Walker. She remained productive until this past August. Her dolls were recognized In Early American Life Magazine in their Annual Directory to Traditional American Crafts for most of the last decade. She is survived by husband Dave McDonald, son Sean McDonald, daughter Lauren Rosson, and four grandchildren Arrangements will be by Perez Family Mortuary in Camarillo, Calif. A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m, Oct. 2, in the Perez Family Mortuary Chapel, 1347 Del Norte Rd. Camarillo, CA 93010. The family wishes in lieu of flowers please donate to Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties www.wish.org/tricounties 805-676-9474