On July 5th, 2015, Dede recieved an MRI scan at St. John's Hospital in Jackson, Wyoming. She sought the medical examination because she had been experiencing loss of balance, numbness in her right hand, and a persistant headache. The MRI scan found three leisons on the right side of Dede's brain. Dede and her family were in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah Hospital by midnight that day. While there, Dede recieved a craniotomy and biopsy which diagnosed the leisons as Glioblastoma Multiformme, a malignant and deadly, grade 4 cancer. Dede recieved radiation therapy and chemotherapy for 6 weeks in Salt Lake City after which she returned to her home in Jackson. 

For the next 3 months, Dede continued periodic bouts of chemotherapy. Her middle son, Sean, a senior in college, quit his summer emlpoyment and took a semester off to provide primary health care to his ailing mother. In January, Dede and Jeff moved to Laramie. After nearly 10 months of fighting her terminal illness, Dede passed on Friday March 27 in her son's home in Laramie, Wyoming. She was surrounded by those she loved most; her sons, Ryan, Kyle, and Sean; her husband, Jeff; and her brother, Rob. 

To continue her legacy, a 501(3)(c) charitable contribution effort has been established in memory of Dede McDonald that provides pediatric therapeutic equipment and support to the greater Jackson Hole community. To learn more about the organization, called Persume Competence of Jackson, and to continue Dede's legacy, visit the website at the following link.

http://pcjackson.org/

Dede's persuit of a physical therapy degree at the University of Ohio was the beginning of a long career dedicated to helping others. While in Arizona, Dede changed her professional focus from traumatic injury to pediatric physical therapy.

After moving to Jackson, Dede was employed at C-V ranch where she worked with multi-handicapped and emotionally disturbed youth. In 1993, Dede combined her love of physical therapy with her love of horses as a founding member of the Jackson Hole Theraputic Riding Association.

Amidst her obligations to C-V, JHTRA, and her three boys constant sporting events, Dede found time to attend trainings and classes to further her knowledge of physical therapy and to bring the newest techniques in physical therapy to the Teton Valley. Later on, Dede would earn a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the Rocky Mountain University.  

Though she never lost her connection to C-V, Dede began a private practice offering pediatric physical therapy services to the Teton Valley. She would later name her practice "Developmental Physical Therapy of Jackson Hole." During this time Dede worked with JHTRA, C-V, The Children's Learning Center, Teton County School Distric #1, and Special Olympics of Wyoming, in addition to her miriade of private clients.

Following her craniotomy, in July 2015, Dede's primary motivation was to get back to work.

Dede and Jeff were married on the porch of the Steak Pub Restauraunt at the Pub Place near South Park Loop of Jackson in 1982. Two years later, Dede would give birth to her first son, Ryan.  Her second and third son, Kyle and Sean were born in 1987 and 1991.   

Through her sons, Dede was involved in the support network for several youth sports in the Jackson community. Between Ryan, Kyle, and Sean, Dede had over two decades of "Hockey Mom" tenure, not to mention soccer, football, track and field, baseball, taekwondo, and more. 
      


   

Diana "Dede" Jane McDonald was born on July 30th, 1950 to Bob Krieger and Dolores Shanahan Krieger in Toledo, Ohio. She received a bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy from Ohio State University in 1972. Dede later continued her education at Rocky Mountain University where she earrned her doctorate.

While in Ohio, Dede married her first husband, David Allen Shutes. She and David moved to Phoenix, Arizona where David preceeded Dede in death. In Phoenix, Dede worked at Good Sumaritan Hospital as the supervising physical therapist of the spinal chorde injury ward. She made many life long freinds in Phoenix and met her husband and father of her children, Jeff McDonald, who was a patient of Dede's good friend, Deborah Taylor. 

Dede and Jeff dated in Arizona for a while before Jeff moved into Dede's house in Scottsdale where Dede had two horses. Dede's love of horses would later play a large role in her professional life. Dede and Jeff lived together in Arizona for two years before they moved to Jackson, Wyoming in 1981 where they would reside until her passing in 2015.