Restaurateur R. Widdicombe Dies : Obituary: He played a key role in establishing Orange County’s Ronald McDonald house for seriously ill children.

Roland Marc Widdicombe, an owner of four McDonald’s restaurants who was largely responsible for the establishment of Orange County’s Ronald McDonald House for seriously ill children, has died of a heart attack. He was 39.

Widdicombe, who died Tuesday at his home, was named Garden Grove’s 1989 “Man of the Year” for his fund-raising efforts on behalf of the Ronald McDonald House, which opened in late 1988. The facility is in Orange near Childrens Hospital of Orange County and serves as a “home away from home” for children undergoing treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses there.

Officials of McDonald’s said the Orange County facility was the first of 100 Ronald McDonald Houses nationwide to open without a mortgage, primarily because of Widdicombe’s efforts in spearheading a fund-raising drive that garnered more than $2.6 million in goods and services. He was a two-time winner of a national Ronald McDonald Award for the fund-raising campaign and other efforts in the community.

The Widdicombe family opened Orange County’s first McDonald’s in 1957. Roland Widdicombe joined in the family business after graduating from Chapman College in 1973.

Born in Winnipeg, Canada, on Dec. 4, 1950, Widdicombe was also active in Garden Grove and county affairs outside the restaurant business. He served for more than 10 years on the board of directors of the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce and was also a member of the board of directors for Southern California Children’s Cancer Services.

Widdicombe served on advisory boards for the Pediatric Foundation of CHOC and the Garden Grove Symphony, and was an active member of the Miss Garden Grove committee. In addition, he was district chairman of the El Capitan district of the Boy Scouts of America and was the current president of the Garden Grove Rotary Club.

Widdicombe is survived by his mother, Aimee Widdicombe of Santa Ana; his sisters, Roberta Widdicombe of Anaheim and Patti Widdicombe of Tustin; and a cousin, Douglas Thorne of Moreno Valley. Visitation is scheduled for Tuesday from 3 to 8 p.m. at Dimond & Sons, with services Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Crystal Cathedral, both in Garden Grove.

The family requests that donations be made to the Ronald McDonald House of Orange County, c/o McDonald’s, 10900 Katella Ave., Anaheim, Calif. 92804.