Unlike most 7th graders, Lowell MacDonald already knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. His basketball/baseball coach owned a funeral home and the profession intrigued young Lowell.

He asked so many questions that the coach finally asked Lowell 's parents if the boy could come to the funeral home one Saturday to learn what the business was all about. The visit served to cement Mr. MacDonald's decision to pursue the vocation.

Mr. MacDonald graduated from Clearwater High School and went on to receive a funeral service education degree from Miami-Dade College. He was licensed as a funeral director in 1984.

Mr. MacDonald worked almost 20 years for other funeral homes, most recently 12 years with Blount Funeral Home. Mr. MacDonald's dream of owning his own business came true when he purchased what was formerly the Duval Funeral Home on Florida Avenue. Mr. MacDonald had the building completely renovated before opening the doors in December 2002.

"The decor was impersonal and lacked the warmth that I feel should be there the minute you walk in the door. And the layout of the rooms was completely different to what I had envisioned," said Mr. MacDonald. "The location was perfect, though, for serving Forest Hills, Lutz, Land 0' Lakes, Carrollwood, New Tampa and the surrounding areas."

Although Mr. MacDonald is proud of the way the remodeling turned out, what is most important to him is the fact that he believes MacDonald Funeral Home will quickly become known for its compassionate, personal approach to each and every family who comes there. "I am not just the funeral director, I am the owner." We are family owned and family focused. My objective is to provide affordable services and the individual attention each family deserves during a difficult time. We do everything we can to customize our services to make them as unique as the individual we are honoring. It's important to the family to feel they are doing something special as a final memorial."

MacDonald Funeral Home offers packages but everything can be customized and personalized. Caskets, vaults and urns are on display but catalogues are available for further selection. As a full service funeral home, MacDonald's also does cremations, out of state transfers, anatomical donations to universities, and can assist with insurance assignments.

Mr. MacDonald is a member of the North Tampa Chamber of Commerce, the Knights of Columbus, and the Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife, Betty, have been married for 19 years and have two children, 14 year old Tyler Joseph and 9 year old Jordan Nicole. The family lives in Land 0' Lakes.