Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

July 20, 2026

Robert "Bobby" Ward Donaldson Jr., 80, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, passed away peacefully on July 20, 2026.

Bobby was born on April 29, 1946, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and raised in Greensboro. He graduated from Page High School in 1964, attended UNC Chapel Hill, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Guilford College and a Master's in Business from UNC Greensboro.

He served with honor in the United States Army from September 28, 1966, to July 1, 1969, spending a year in Vietnam before being stationed in Germany. A visit to Australia during R&R sparked a lifelong love of travel, and after his discharge, he returned there to live in Sydney, Australia for a year.

Bobby began his career at NationsBank in the construction development department. He later joined John Crosland Company, where he helped build their mortgage brokerage division and became a member of the National Home Builders Association. He went on to found J.V. Andrews Co. and Donaldson and Associates Home Builders, later joining Saussy Burbank as a home builder, and closed out his career as a mortgage broker.

Community was central to Bobby's life, and few causes meant more to him than Camp Thunderbird. He served on the board from 1988 to 1996 and as Chairman of the Board from 1994 to 1995, always advocating for what was best for the camp and its programs. He was passionate about summer water activities, environmental education, and the camp's international camper program, and Thunderbird Family Camp held a special place in the Donaldsons' hearts, creating memories the whole family cherished. He and his wife, Nancy, opened their home to foreign exchange students who attended the camp and sponsored campers for many years. Above all, Bobby believed deeply in the resident camp scholarship campaign and the doors it opens for young people who might not otherwise experience camp. He also spent countless hours coaching his daughters and their friends in basketball and soccer through elementary and middle school. The Donaldson home became a second home to many of his daughters' friends, who often said that Bobby and Nancy had a gift for making everyone feel loved and welcome.

Bobby cherished his friendships and remained loyally devoted to the people who had walked alongside him through every chapter of life — a devotion that meant more to him than ever in his final years. He was an avid boater, golfer and a lifelong UNC basketball fan, spending decades bringing his family to games at the Dean Dome. To his seven grandchildren, he was simply "Babo," and nothing brought him more joy than being with them or receiving their calls and photos.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Nancy Holland Donaldson; his three daughters, Margaret Crane and her husband Joe, Nancy Gauss and her husband RD, and Sarah Eargle and her husband Austin; and his seven grandchildren, Barbara and JB Crane, Mack and Bruce Gauss, and Whitner, Harris, and Sadie Eargle. He is also survived by his sister, Susan Ross, and her husband Tom Ross; his brother, Jimmy Donaldson; and his brothers-in-law, Don Holland and Johnny Holland and his wife Susan, along with their families.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret Norman Donaldson and Robert Ward Donaldson, and his sister-in-law, Anita Talley Holland.

A private family service celebrating Bobby's life will be held on Monday, July 27. The family will receive friends and loved ones at a reception from 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm in Oxford Hall at Myers Park Presbyterian Church, 2501 Oxford Pl, Charlotte, NC 28207. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Camp Thunderbird Scholarship Campaign or Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute.

Arrangements are entrusted to Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204, (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.