John Fairley McDonald, Jr. of Montgomery, Alabama, died on July 31, 2014. His funeral service and interment will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 3, 2014, at St. John's Episcopal Church in Montgomery, Alabama, with visitation thereafter in the Parish Hall.
Fairley was born on April 12, 1928, in Montgomery, Alabama, to John Fairley and Juliette Burke McDonald. He graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in 1945, and he subsequently attended Harvard University on the prestigious Pepsi Cola scholarship, receiving an A.B. Cum Laude from Harvard in 1949. While at Harvard, Fairley was a member, officer and piano accompanist in the Harvard Glee Club where he had occasion to accompany such notable directors as Serge Koussevitzky and Leonard Bernstein.
He was also a member of the Harvard marching and concert band, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, and the Hasty Pudding Club.
Upon his graduation from college, Fairley became a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force. Following his honorable discharge, he resided for the rest of his life in Montgomery, where he thereafter served the community as a faithful business and civic leader, returning briefly to Harvard in 1975 to obtain a Masters of Finance Degree. Fairley primarily worked in the investment banking industry, retiring from Sterne, Agee and Leach as a Senior Vice President in 2006.
A long time active member of St. John's Episcopal Church, Fairley held various positions in the church, including that of Vestry member, Junior and Senior Warden, assistant organist, choir member and assistant treasurer. In addition, he was chairman of the church's endowment fund for 25 years. Also active in the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, Fairley was a Cursillo staff leader, a former Treasurer of the Diocese, and a former member of the Diocesan Council and the Bishop Selection Committee. Fairley was very active in community service for Montgomery, having served as Chairman of the Montgomery Area United Way and as President of the Committee of 100. Additionally, he served as a board member of various other civic and educational organizations, including the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, the Montgomery Industrial Development Board, the Rotary Club (Paul Harris Fellow), the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, the Montgomery Chorale Society, the Montgomery Academy, and the Unity Club. He was also active in numerous social organizations including the Montgomery Country Club and the St. Andrews Society.
Fairley leaves surviving him his three children: John Fairley McDonald, III (Pat) of Montgomery, Alabama; Julia McDonald Goyer (Jim) of Birmingham, Alabama, and Letitia Arrington McDonald (Bill Muller) of Atlanta, Georgia; seven grandchildren: Elizabeth Arrington McDonald, Anne Ferrell McDonald, Julia Parker Goyer, Charlotte Goyer Parsons (Jon Michael), James Lawrence Goyer, IV, Abigail Manning Muller; and one brother, Donald McDonald of Houston Texas.
Published in the Montgomery Advertiser from Aug. 2 to Aug. 3, 2014.