McDonald, Brian Patrick

52 of McLean, VA, passed away on August 16, 2017. Born on March 11, 1965 in Des Plaines, IL and raised in Morristown, NJ, he graduated from Bayley Ellard High School in 1983. Brian enlisted in the United States Army and served for six years as a paratrooper and communications sergeant deploying domestic and abroad. Following his military service Brian earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and International Studies from the University of Notre Dame, College of Arts and Letters in 1992. After college Brian moved to Arizona and joined the ranks of the Arizona Department of Public Safety as a State Trooper. In a few short years he achieved the rank of Detective and spent many years working in the Gang Unit and Intelligence Unit as well as leader and pointman on the SWAT Team. In 2002 he was tasked to the federal government to assist the Joint Terrorism Task Force with the global war on terrorism. He retired in 2014 after 21 years of service with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and moved to McLean, VA to continue working as a contractor with the federal government. Brian is preceded in death by his grandparents, Elmer and Helen (Kmetz) McDonald and William and Mary Ann (Devine) Herriron, his parents James Patrick and Mary Ann (Herriron) McDonald and his much beloved sister Kathleen Mary McDonald. He is survived by a host of friends and his cherished girlfriend, Christina Berry. A graveside service will be held Saturday, October 14th, 2017 at 2:00pm at Holy Rood Cemetery in Morristown, NJ. In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation: JDRF 28 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004 or http://www.jdrf.org/ For additional information please contact Susan Ryan at susanryan.estate.brianmcdonald@ gmail.com.