Louis Darrell McDonald
July 17, 1943 ~ September 10, 2022
Louis Darrell McDonald, devoted son, beloved brother, father, grandfather, uncle, coach and friend passed away on September 10, 2022, in Austin, Texas, at the age of 79.
Darrell was born on July 17, 1943 in Pittsburg, Texas, the son of Louis Edgar and Imogene Riddle McDonald. He grew up in Hughes Springs where he excelled as an athlete and graduated with the Hughes Springs High School Class of 1961. He then graduated from Texarkana College and later from East Texas State University in Commerce with a Master’s Degree in Education.
For more than 40 years, Darrell was a high school coach and educator in Northeast Texas. He began his career in Quitman followed by stops in Mount Pleasant, Gilmer, Gladewater, and Pine Tree High School in Longview. His football and golf teams competed in multiple state championships, and he left a lasting impression on all those who were fortunate enough to be taught by him. After retirement, he continued his passion and dedication to children as an administrator at Foster Middle School in Longview. Darrell rarely went anywhere without seeing one of his former students and always stopped to reminisce.
Darrell enjoyed having family gatherings and watching and talking football. He was known as “Poppy” to his grandchildren and was ever-present at their activities. He arrived early to get the best seat. Poppy was not above moving his chair to sit on the track directly behind the end zone, on the basketball court, behind a soccer goal, or even in his car shining his headlights into centerfield.
He was preceded in death by his beloved parents; the mother of his children, Jeanie Gee McDonald; and brother-in-law James Camp.
He is survived by three children, Lisa Wright (Marvin), Wade McDonald, and Anna Mallett (Brad) all of Austin; eight grandchildren, Lauren, Collin and Clint Wright, Grady and Molly McDonald, Brandon and Lainey Mallett, Blane Peveler; and two great granddaughters, Alexis and Isabelle Valls.
Darrell leaves behind three sisters, Julia Limer (Bill) of Arlington, Texas, Linda Dinger (John) of Pequannock, New Jersey, Sandy Camp of Daingerfield, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, October 1 , 2022 at Reeder-Davis Chapel in Hughes Springs, Texas.
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So sorry for your lose. Prayers for all the family.
I was not ready to see this.
Love and Prayers for all of you .
Lola
Im so sorry to hear of he passing of Darrell.He was one great Guy..He will be missed..RIP ole Buddy.
Darrell was my childhood friend. We lived in the same neighborhood. We played football, baseball, and basketball in our backyard along with David Black, Billy Wayne McKinney, Steve Evans, Bettye Wallace, and myself! Those were the days when kids could play outside with lots of freedom. My parents were good friends of Darrell’s parents. God bless all of Darrell’s sisters and family members! May he Rest In Peace!
Have several memories of Darrel from our childhood in Hughes Springs. Swimming in railroad pond, playing baseball, etc.
Condolences to his family.
We send our prayers to Darrell's family. No matter the relationship, the loss is great when you lose someone you love. God Bless all of you.
Darrell and my husband Mike met on the golf course at Coaching School one year and had a great talk about all us cousins being loud and rowdy and him having to go in and put the lid on it! He was about 17 and so handsome. I don’t think we quietened down one little bit.
I am glad for the memories. You will be missed. Much love to all those who love him. God bless.
Janie Farda
Debra Putman
Coach McDonald got our son started in golf at 9 years old as a summertime activity and he still plays all the time. Coach also coached our son in high school with a lot of success. Coach was always great to the parents and he will be missed.
Wow, this hurts to see. Coach was such a huge influence on me. He advised my parents to start me in golf in third grade and then it came full circle when I was lucky enough to play for him for 4 years in high school. He was a kind gentle man who never got too high or too low. He always showed up. Whether rain or shine, Coach was always there. We still tell stories about him and they usually start with ‘Boy I’m telling you”. Love you and miss you Coach. Thanks for everything.
This breaks my heart to see. This man changed the course of my high school career and the rest of my life. He took a mediocre golfer and gave me the confidence to stand on the Tee Box at the State tournament. If he didn’t have words of encouragement, he just laid it out in only the way that Coach could. Never mad or disappointed, just there to let us know we were better than that. I am pretty sure that we not only clinched state at Waterwood National, but he let us fish after that on the course and we set the course record on Large mouth bass! He was one of a kind and will be missed. We will meet again, old Friend. Rest easy’
So sorry to hear about Darrell! God Bless him and his family.
Darrell and I played football together. He was a great quarterback. On our last game against Daingerfield he through me a 50 yard pass and we scored on the next play.