Donald R. McDonald, 83, of Sallisaw, passed away on Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Fort Smith.
He was born on June 26, 1933, in Fort Smith, the son of Grace Stella Pinkerton McDonald and Alfred Herschel McDonald.
He was a 1951 graduate of Sallisaw High School. He entered the U.S. Marine Corps in July 1953, and served for three years. He was stationed in San Diego, Camp Pendleton, Korea and Camp Lejeune, N.C.
He returned to college and attended the University of Arkansas and Northeastern State College where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Education and later the University of Oklahoma where he received his Master of Social Work (MSW).
He later attended Texas Western (now UTEP) in El Paso, Texas, and Nevada Southern (now UNLV) in Las Vegas.
He worked with the Department of Public Welfare in Oklahoma City prior to moving to El Paso, where he taught fifth grade for two years. He worked for the Clark County School District in Las Vegas for 30 years, where he was a social worker, special education teacher and school psychologist.
He was a member of First Christian Church in Sallisaw, also had been a member of Austin Park Christian Church in El Paso and First Christian Church in Las Vegas.
He was a lifetime member of the VFW Post 4518 in Sallisaw and a lifetime member of the American Legion Post 31 in Fort Smith. He was also a lifetime member of the Marine Corps League (Greater Nevada Detachment in Las Vegas).
He was previously a member of the National Education Association and National Association of Social Workers.
Early hobbies were fishing, hunting and listening to country music (now called classic country). Later it was drinking beer and chasing girls. His most recent hobby was traveling.
He visited all 50 of the United States and lived in seven of them.
He also visited most of the states in Mexico and the provinces in Canada. He visited six of the seven continents and a total of 62 countries.
Survivors are one daughter, Julie McDonald of Phoenix; one son, Al McDonald of Tucson, Ariz.; sister-in-law, Jody McDonald of Alma; longtime companion, Maxine Woodruff; and several nieces, nephews, cousins and many close friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother, Fred McDonald.
