John Robert Donald

John Robert Donald

Pictured above ~ 1953 with spouse, Kathleen Loretta Burkett Donald. They were married in Longview, Texas on January 9, 1953, Rev. Ottie Reed officiated at their ceremony and he also officiated at the funeral services for John when he passed away. Documentation

School Picture School Picture School Picture 1947 School Picture Pre-School Picture

Funeral Program Tombstone

Recollections by Patricia Donald Mims:

John worked in his early years as a carpenter in the Carthage area. He attended school at the old Mt. Pleasant school on FM 2517, and graduated from Carthage High School after the schools were consolidated. He served in the Korean War in the 7th Infantry Division, and received an honorable discharge. In his early years he was a deacon at First Baptist Church in Carthage, Texas. In 1965, he took a job as an electrical design engineer with Northern Natural Gas in Omaha, Nebraska and moved the family there. This was the beginning of a rather nomadic existence that had the family following jobs and living in St Paul, Minn., Kansas City, Ks, Neosho, Miss, Freeport, Texas, and visiting Carthage regularly between and during moves to new locations. The residence at 817 N Brassell was maintained by the family as a second home until the early 1970’s. He worked in many distant locations including North Slope, Alaska, Beaver Creek, British Columbia and Africa.

John loved to hunt and fish and taught me how to do all these. Summers were frequently spent camping in Colorado with the family and traveling where the road led.

Through out his life he loved to build as did many of the Panola County Donald men. He built some pieces of furniture, and untold numbers of sheds, garden trellises, storage shelves, and other sundry items. He loved to garden and grow things. At the time of his death he had a large muscadine vine that he had grown from seeds collected in the Carthage area. He loved books, and loved to study and learn—the subject didn’t much matter—so long as he was learning. He was driven to seek perfection and had a strong work ethic.

He was a “mans man”, but he loved his children and wife passionately. He held very high expectations for his daughters and at least with me, he never let there be any misunderstanding about the level of performance that was expected. But a prouder dad was never found where his children’s accomplishments were concerned.

He could be mischievous, and had a wicked sense of humor. He loved country music and old hymns—Rock of Ages being his favorite as I recall. He had a rich bass voice and I can remember him singing along with LP records of these old hymns. He didn’t care for my rock and roll as I matured and began to make my own music selections. Neither did he ever care for any of the boy friend selections I made. He did not have the privilege of giving his approval for my husband of 25+ years, but I think he would have liked Chris and grown to love his as the son he didn’t have.

Dad’s loss in December 1978 after my 18th birthday is a wound that will never quite heal. His last few years were racked with illness and extended hospital stays. He wasn’t himself in so many ways during that time. Even today his absence is keenly felt any time I working on something that would have been a project he would have grabbed with both hands. I guess a little girl’s heart never stops missing Daddy, even is she is 45+.

Spouse:

Kathleen Loretta Burkett Donald

DOB: 04/25/1927 DOD: 07/30/2005

Born: Knoxville, Tennessee

Interred: Memorial Oaks Cemetery, Houston, Texas

Funeral Program Obituary Funeral Program 2 Funeral Program 3 Tombstone