FORT TOTTEN, N.D. – Anthony “Tony” McDonald, deacon of Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Fort Totten, died on Sunday, Dec. 7 at the age of 88. He was in the care of HIA Hospice and family members at his home in Fort Totten.
According to information provided by the Gilbertson Funeral Home, McDonald was born in August 1937 as a member of Spirit Lake Tribe in the Fort Totten area. He suffered loss in his teens when his mother died in 1953, leaving McDonald to take responsibility of his eight brothers and sisters. Neighbors helped during the day to care for the much younger children while their paternal grandmother from Montana also came to assist. He graduated later that same year as valedictorian of his class.
Educated in a Catholic boarding school as a child, McDonald spent his entire life devoted to the Catholic faith. He attended college at Haskell and Wahpeton. Tony met his wife Vina Wells at a powwow celebration. They married in 1959, and raised their family of six daughters and four sons in the Catholic faith while passing on the heritage of the Dakota, Hidatsa and Arikara nations. Their marriage lasted for 62 years until Vina’s death in 2022.
Despite the loss of his mother, McDonald experienced strong familial connections. During his younger years, he lived for a time with the family of Lily Shaw. He was also close to Kunsi Rachel Twohearts, who provided maternal guidance as McDonald grew up. In the early years of his marriage, the couple lived with her parents in the Lucky Mound area of MHA Nation, who treated McDonald as a son.
Jobs were limited, so McDonald helped sustain his family by working and staying at local farms for a weekly wage of $40.
Eventually, McDonald moved his family to Spirit Lake Nation for permanent employment, but encountered personal challenges in a struggle with alcoholism. Getting treatment in 1978, he maintained his sobriety ever since, and shared his experiences with others in recovery, serving as a role model for others seeking support and help from addictions.
After giving up alcohol, McDonald felt called to the ministry. Encouraged to study for the deaconate program, he took his vows three years later. On May 28, 1983, Tony became the first American Indian to be ordained as a deacon in the state of North Dakota and by the Fargo Diocese of the Catholic Church.
After his ordination, McDonald and Vina provided a ministry, serving God together. They helped countless families through times of grief and mourning, and these same families came together to comfort and support the couple when they lost their own sons, Duane to a tragic shooting incident, and Michael to hypothermia. They also adopted others through the Hunka ceremony.
McDonald witnessed many marriages, baptisms, prayer meetings, and healing services. He also provided guidance to many individuals and families, and was honored to be godparent for a number of residents in the community.
McDonald also served the community of Fort Totten, the Spirit Lake Nation, North Dakota, and the U.S. in other ways, seeking funding and implementation of the Family Development Center, an alcohol treatment approach focused on family unification and family healing. He served as the center’s director for many years and also assisted Spirit Lake Tribe in reestablishing their alcohol treatment program for individuals.
A fluent Dakota speaker, McDonald taught Dakota culture and language classes Four Winds Community School, initiating an Indian club for the children to learn and practice dancing and singing while promoting positive self-identity and pride in their ancestry. He worked hard to instill the Dakota language and values, developing his own educational materials as cultural strengthening was still an emerging field in educational institutions in the 1970s. He mentored young cowboys in the rodeo club. McDonald also served on local school boards, to advocate for children. He was a private business owner, providing security and cleaning services while offering employment opportunities for the community.
For many years, McDonald and his family coordinated efforts to honor area veterans on Veterans Day, holding a recognition ceremony and a community dinner, raising funds and seeking sponsorship of the meal and veteran gifts. Memorial Day was spent at the local cemetery, remembering loved ones with prayer, gift baskets and food that were given to veterans and others.
McDonald was an all-around athlete, cowboy, basketball player, and daily runner. He fought for better health when diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, overcame the challenges of becoming a double amputee and undergoing triple bypass heart surgery.
In 2016, McDonald was inducted into the North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor. He was grateful to share his story, hoping others would take something positive from it, and was recognized for his lifelong commitment to family, the Spirit Lake nation, and other tribal nations throughout the United States and Canada.
A few years later, becoming ill with COVID, the now elderly couple were hospitalized with McDonald being discharged to a nursing home in New Rockford while Vina was sent to Fargo to recover. Dad became a resident of Good Shepherd Lutheran Home in New Rockford ND, before finally returning home on Nov. 6, 2025, a month before his passing.
Throughout all of his life’s struggles, McDonald continued to serve God and help others wherever he could. He shared his favorite encouraging words often: “There is no success without God.”
