In Watertown, the name MacDonald carries a legacy that stretches back generations — seven, to be exact. For Kevin MacDonald, that legacy isn’t just about roots in the community; it’s about a lifelong thread of service, compassion, and quiet connection to the Hundred Club of Massachusetts.
Kevin grew up quite literally surrounded by service. His grandfather, Joseph A. MacDonald, founded the Joseph A. MacDonald Funeral Home in Watertown Square — a place where community, family, and care for others intertwined. It was there, in the apartment above the funeral home, that Kevin remembers first seeing a large wooden placard covered in badges — and learning that his grandfather had been one of the early members of the Hundred Club.
“If he wasn’t one of the first, he was definitely early on,” Kevin recalls. “He and John Airasian — their families were close — joined around the same time.” His grandfather’s commitment to the Hundred Club wasn’t just about membership; it was about standing beside those who serve, in moments when service carries the greatest cost.
Growing up, Kevin remembers the Club as something that quietly lived in the background of family life — a badge on the wall, a letter opener on a desk, an emblem of belonging. Later, when Kevin joined the Watertown Fire Department, the meaning deepened. “My dad said, ‘I’ve got tickets to the Hundred Club dinner — you should come.’ And suddenly, it all clicked,” he said. “It went from being something I’d seen as a kid, to something I really understood.”
That understanding became profoundly real when Kevin’s colleague, Firefighter Joseph Toscano, passed away in the line of duty. “You hear about what the Hundred Club does,” Kevin said, “but when you see it in action — when you see them show up for a family in the darkest moment — it changes everything.”
Today, Kevin and his brother both carry on their grandfather’s membership, a living symbol of their family’s commitment to the mission. “It’s always been a thing in our family,” Kevin said. “Something we believe in.”
Generations later, that belief still runs strong — proof that the legacy of the Hundred Club isn’t just about the moments when tragedy strikes, but about the quiet, enduring ties that connect families like the MacDonalds to a mission of care, honor, and community.
