Rev. John A. McDonald, age 62, of Marion, went to be with the Lord on Sunday evening, June 20, 2010, at his residence surrounded by his loving family following a courageous battle with cancer.
On September 6, 1947, John was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, the son of the late Rev. Rubert “Robert” and Willa “Willy” (Steele) McDonald.
While attending his parents’ church, John met the love of his life, Freda Marie Leary, who had her eyes on him for quite some time. After dating for three years, they were married by Pastor Conrad on October 9, 1965, in Clarksburg, WV. Together they shared forty-five wonderful years of marriage and lovingly raised seven children, all of whom they are deeply proud of. Even though they are all now grown up, he still looked after them as if they were his “babies”.
During the late 1960’s, John’s parents moved to Marion, where they founded the Body of Christ Church on 972 Gebhardt Street. Feeling called to follow in their footsteps, John too became a minister to be of service to their church. For over 30 years, he and his sister, Rev. Debra Mullett shared in the daily tasks of ministering at the church.
Many will remember John from watching TV 39, as he and his bluegrass band played gospel music every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. His love for the Lord could be seen and felt by anyone who ever listened to their music. As the head of the group’s musical ministry, John took special care in selecting the songs and where they would be played. Also, he was a devoted member of the Gospel Association and Buckeye Gospel Association for over 10 years.
An avid sports fan, John loved to watch NASCAR, and he especially enjoyed rooting for Jeff Gordon.
As a coach for his two sons, John was proud to help lead them with their boxing careers, and was honored to be by their side when they won their Golden glove awards and titles at the Ohio State Fair Nationals.
If you didn’t know John when he walked in the room, you would by the time he left. He was always known as a people person, and would shake a stranger’s hand anytime of the day!
John will be dearly missed by his beloved wife, Freda M. McDonald of Marion; 7 children: Michelle (Rodney) Roberts of Richwood, Tess (Mike) Broughton of New Bloomington, Pamela McDonald, Resia McDonald, John (Nicole) McDonald Jr., Kelly McDonald, and Robert McDonald; a brother, Gary (Carla) McDonald; three sisters: Patty Sheets, Judy (Jerry) Morgan, and Rev. Debra (Don) Mollett, all of Marion; 16 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by two brothers: Richard and Jeffrey McDonald; and two sisters: Jackie Salisbury, Brenda Miller, and Jean Reed.
The McDonald family will greet friends from 3-8 p.m. on Thursday, June 24, 2010, at the Denzer-Farison-Hottinger & Snyder Funeral Home, 360 E. Center St., Marion. Services celebrating John’s life will be held on Friday, at the funeral home at 2:00 p.m. with his sister, Rev. Debra Mollett officiating. Burial will follow in Marion Cemetery.
Memorial Contributions may be made to the family in care of the funeral home. For those wishing to express their condolences to John’s family, you may do so by visiting www.snyderfuneralhomes.com.
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