Donald E. Canady

Donald Emon Canady, 92, left this earth to claim his eternal reward on December 4, 2018. He was born on September 30, 1926 to Francis Emon and Ruth Tatum Canady. A child of the Great Depression and two school teachers, he often told stories about having little, but learning to be thankful for what he did have.

Donald graduated from Mount Holly High School and went to work in the mailroom at First National Bank of El Dorado in 1944. He took great pride in helping thousands of customers,many of whom he considered to be his friends. In his almost 48 years of service, he held numerous positions which ultimately ended with him earning the title of Vice President.

Donald and his wife, Jewel, were members of Block and Hardy Church of Christ before joining with several other couples to form College Avenue Church of Christ. This was his church home for the rest of his life. Donald loved his church family and took the Great Commission seriously. While he never went on a mission trip himself, he supported countless mission efforts, both financially and in prayer. Donald was a great supporter of children both as a Math and Reading Tutor at Yocum Elementary and through his contributions to the Paragould Children’s Home and Southern Christian Home in Morrilton.

Donald and Jewel never had any biological children, but if you knew them well, you were sure to have heard stories about their grands and great grands. Donald was known for saying “It sure is hard to have grandkids when you never had kids, but I couldn’t love them any more.”

Donald was preceded in death by his parents and his younger brother, Terry. He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Jewel Goodson Canady; sister in law, Nedra Williams (Si); sister in law, Sue McKinnon (Jerry); sister in law, Sadie Templeton; granddaughter, Laurel Barnes (Jeremy); grandson, Drew McKinnon (Melissa); great grandchildren Jeffery Philip (JP), Canady Elaine (Lainey), Leah Grace, Grant Mason, and Kate Elizabeth; nephew, Joe Canady (Belinda); niece, Connie Testa (Tony); nephew Jeff McKinnon (Tammi); niece Myra Arnold (Mike); niece Bobbilene Mauney; niece Sandra Draper; nephew Larry Rocket (Janie); nephew Greg Endel (Debbie), niece Sonya Gates (Hal), niece Tanya Wells (Tim); niece Martia Norrell (Tom); nephew Keith McKinnon (Brenda); and numerous great nieces and nephews, as well as Debbie Smith, a special “daughter.”

Special thanks to Darlene Green, Stephanie Hall, Cassie Watson, Herman Hill, and Leroy Shelton, each of whom did numerous things to help take care of “Pop” in his later years.

Visitation will be at 10AM with service to follow at 11AM Saturday, December 8, at College Avenue Church of Christ with Kent Jobe officiating. Graveside service will immediately follow at Arlington Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Children's Homes Inc., 5515 Walcott Rd., Paragould, AR 72450, or to Southern Christian Home, Box 649, Morrilton, AR 72110.

An online registry will be available at www.youngsfuneralhome.com