Linda Sue James McDonald
Linda Sue James McDonald “Sweet Sue”, 75, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, died peacefully on Monday, November 6, 2023.
Sue was born in Lake City (Rocky Top), Tn., to Gerald and Alva James in 1948. In 1959, the James family settled in Chattanooga. A graduate of Central High School, Sue studied at the University of Tennessee and later received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. Sue lived and worked in the Atlanta area for a little over a decade before moving back to Chattanooga where she met and married John McDonald in 1981, and together, they welcomed their son, Matthew McDonald. Sue was a devoted wife, mother and doting grandmother. Sue helped countless underprivileged youth in her professional career as a talented grant writer for the Southeastern Tennessee Private Industry Council, a non-profit organization that funded vocational programs and employment opportunities in the Chattanooga area. After her retirement, she joined in to help the family business, selling lots and acreage tracts.
Known for a quick smile and sharp wit in social settings, Sue was loved by all who knew her. Sue had a penchant for entertaining guests, as her home on Battery Place was often the gathering place for friends from all walks of life. She loved rooting the Vols on Saturdays in the fall, walking on the Riverwalk after work, and fretting over her furry loved ones.
Sue was preceded in death by her father, Gerald James; mother, Alva James; brothers Alfred and Bob James; and Sister, Jerri (Joe) Hill.
She is survived by her husband of 42 years, John McDonald; son, Matt McDonald (Abbey); stepson, Mark McDonald (Michelle), brother, Roy James (Cindy); grandchildren, Courtney Black (Wesley), Conner McDonald, Sally McDonald, Dixie McDonald and Cannon McDonald; great grandchild, Kessler Black, and several nieces and nephews.
There will be a gathering for a celebration of life at The Bluff View Inn in the Bluff View Art District on Saturday, Nov. 18, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Siskin Rehabilitation Hospital, Alexian Village and Hearth Hospice.
Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory, and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, Tn. 37343.
Please share your thoughts and memories at
www.chattanooganorthchapel.com.