George Randal Donaldson

George Randal Donaldson was born February 10, 1930 near Oblong, Illinois on the banks of the Embarras River. He was preceded in death by his parents, Guy E. Donaldson and Blanche Ellen Price, and his brother, Wayne Lee Donaldson. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen Kuehn, daughters, Laura Ellen and husband Mark Allan Miller, Mary Elizabeth and husband Barry Arthur Brown, and son, Guy Randal and wife Tracie Annette Donaldson. He also leaves two sisters, Mary Fidella and husband Harold Wheeler, and Norma Jean Ferguson. He leaves nine grandchildren, John Daniel, David Randal, Sean Huston, Sarah Christina, Benjamin George, Katherine Ellen, Matthew Guy, Randal Gene, and, Susan Elizabeth.

George grew up in the “oil patch”. He started school in western Kansas during the dust bowl. He graduated from McLeansboro Township High School in southern Illinois in 1947. He attended the Missouri School of Mines at Rolla, and graduated with honors in 1951. He joined Atlantic Refining Company (ARCO) as a petroleum engineer and then entered the Marine Corps for two years. After a stint for ARCO in Merryville, Louisiana he relocated to west Texas. In 1955, he met and married Mary Ellen Kuehn in Midland, Texas promising her they would travel. After a short stay in Dallas, they moved to Caracas, Venezuela and then to Champaign, where he became a certified professional engineer in Illinois and went out on his own. In 1965, he went to work for H.J. Gruy and Associates in Houston. He was a senior vice president for Gruy when he retired in 1989. Following his retirement, he provided consulting services to the oil industry. George was a member of Pioneer Oil Producers Society (POPS), Society of Evaluation Engineers (SPEE) and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). In retirement, George enjoyed hunting with his English Setter, playing bridge, travelling, working out at Memorial City Cardio Rehab and watching his grandchildren’s sports events.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 2nd at Fair Haven United Methodist Church, 1330 Gessner Drive, Houston, TX 77055, 713-468-3276.

George will be buried at the Houston National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Heart Association, Hospice, or Missouri S&T at Rolla Scholarship Fund.