Donald P. McGuire, age 83, died peacefully on Tuesday, September 14^th 2021, at the Lower Cape Fear Hospice Facility in Wilmington, NC.

A pillar of his St. James community, Don leaves behind Craig and Shannon Allan, devoted step-son and daughter-in-law; Cathy, Steve, Peter and Claire Groft, loving daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren; Murphy, his loyal shih-tzu and constant companion; and a wealth of friends.  He is predeceased by his wife of 25 years, Cheryl A. McGuire.

Don was born in Seneca Falls, New York on June 9^th, 1938.  He grew up in the rural farmland of New York and joined the army, serving his country admirably for three years.  He continued to support the U.S. Military and our troops his entire life.

Don’s professional career spanned over 50 years of dedication to public safety with his involvement in both volunteer and career fire and emergency medical services.  Beginning his career for the State of New York as both a volunteer and career fire fighter, he later became Chief of the Bureau of Fire and Safety for the Rockland Psychiatric Center and then Director of the State Bureau of Safety and Security, Office of Mental Health in Albany, New York.  Following this, in 1981, he was appointed Director of Emergency Services for Rockland County, New York, where he developed, revised, and executed emergency plans and procedures for 13 years.  Notably, he established response policies and standards in emergency events at the Indian Point Nuclear Facility and was additionally the County Chief of Hazardous Materials Response during this time.

While in Rockland County, Don met and married his wife Cheryl A. McGuire.  In 1994, Don and Cheryl moved to LaPlata, Maryland where he held the position of Director of Emergency Services for Charles County Maryland for the next 14 years.  There he coordinated the implementation of a state of the art emergency communications system and Emergency Operations Center.  He also developed a FEMA Type 1 County Hazardous Materials Response Team.  In addition to his work within Charles County, Don continued his service to others as an operations specialist and was deployed to Florida and Mississippi through EMAC after hurricanes Charlie and Katrina.  When he retired, he continued to work for FEMA as a Disaster Assistance Reservist, during which time he was deployed to southeastern states such as Kentucky, Mississippi and Florida during federally declared disasters. 

In 2007, Don and Cheryl moved to St. James, North Carolina, where he quickly became a valued and respected member of the community.  Enjoying their retirement, he and Cheryl pursued his interests, which included turtle nest watching, gathering with friends for card games, watching NASCAR, fishing along the Intracoastal Waterway, traveling to new places and seeing friends along the way, and tirelessly supporting Operation at Ease as well as other charitable organizations that support men and women who have served or are serving in our military.  He also still pursued his passion of public safety, volunteering for the St. James Fire Department and serving on the Board of Directors and as President of the Board from 2019 until present.  He was instrumental in the building of Station 2, as the Chairman of the Building Committee and Project Manager, overseeing every facet of the creation, from its conception to the final fit and finish.  And, with his longstanding support of the military, from 2011 – 2013 he was co-founder and Commander of the St. James American Legion Post 543. 

You could easily find Don, also known as “MacMan,” in his boat cruising along the coastal waters of North Carolina, in his wood working shop working on his latest project made with love and great care and attention to detail, or on the back of a fire truck.  A man of deep and abiding faith, Don was a devout communicant and parishioner of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Southport. 

A funeral mass will be held for him at Sacred Heart Catholic Church  on Tuesday, September 28 2021 at 11:00am.  A reception will follow at 1:00pm at The Reserve Club in St. James. 

On line condolences may be sent to www.brunswickfuneralservice.com.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Don’s memory to the St. James Fire Department.

Brunswick Funeral Service, Southport/Oak Island Chapel