Donald R McGehee

Near Abilene, Texas, on June 20th,, 1939, in the small town of Merkel, Don was welcomed into the world by his parents, Ted “Mac” and Mary Ellen (Ashby) McGehee. As the youngest, he was a welcome addition to his siblings Teddy Joe, David, and Joyce. A short year later, the family moved to Belton, Texas.

As Don learned to talk, he would stand in his front yard calling for neighbors to “get out of my nard!” He was a frequent accomplice with his brothers as they would slip from the house and aid each other in sneaking their favorite sweets from the Mrs. Barid’s Bakery truck their father drove for work.

Don attended Tyler Elementary and Belton High School. He earned a football scholarship for his athleticism playing for the Belton Tigers. In keeping with his “take charge” personality, he was an active leader in his youth group at the First Baptist Church of Belton. He served the Lord as a Youth Pastor, directing church activities for his peers. (It was at this Church that he received his nickname when one of the pastors teased him, in good nature, about some weight gain, calling him “Rolly Polly”.)

After his graduation in 1957, Don left Belton to take up the University of Texas at El Paso on that football scholarship. Between his studies for his Metallurgy major, he met Ann Davidson, spending an ever increasing amount of time with her at her parents’ home in El Paso. 1961 found Don and Ann married and blessed with their new daughter, Julie McGehee.

Following college, Don and his small family moved to Provo, Utah. There, he began his career as an engineer for a steel mill. His native Texas never ceased to call him though, eventually leading him to move back to settle in Houston. His passion for metals analysis lead him to strike out on his own, establishing his own laboratory he named Metallon. Becoming one of the best in his field, his work touched large scale projects around the country, including analysis work on welds for construction of the Alaskan Pipeline.

Taking breaks from his hard work, Don loved to travel. He enjoyed cruises and taking trips to Europe and Mexico, always eager to meet new people and partake of food and wine in new places. One of his favorite destinations was Acapulco, Mexico. It was there that he met Alejandro “Alex” Gomez, in 1990. They found an immediate connection between two souls, bridging culture and language differences.

Don deeply loved his family and friends. He was caring and compassionate. He was fiercely dedicated to his daughter, Julie, sacrificing for her care. He comforted Alex as his mother, Maria Teresa, suffered an illness. He supported friends and family experiencing losses and tragedies.

In retirement, he took advantage of his free time to increase his travel itinerary, especially cruising. On trips, he would often say, “I could get used to life on a cruise ship very easily.” In between adventures, he loved to work on his computer, trading in the stock markets.

His ready laugh, bright smile, and deep, booming voice were his unique trademarks. They will be forever missed, though readily available in our memories.

Don’s passing was preceded by his parents and his older brother, Teddy Joe. Those family left to cherish his life are daughter Julie McGehee , sister-in-law Lois, brother David (Bonnie), sister Joyce, nephews David Wayne, Dewayne, Larry, Michael, Mark, Steve, and Kevin, nieces Lynn, Peggy Sue, Rhonda, and Stephanie, father-in-law Jesus, and brothers-in-law, Jesus and Guillermo.

Finally, he is survived by his partner, Alex, who has sacrificed himself these many months as they have coped with Don’s illness and the loss of their home to Hurricane Harvey. The family is forever grateful to the sacrifices Alex made as he continued working while also spending many nights in the ER or a Hospital room, tirelessly seeing to Don’s needs and advocating for his care.

A funeral service in his memory will be held on Saturday, October 6th, at 10 AM at Forrest Park Lawndale, 6900 Lawndale St, Houston, TX. A fellowship lunch will follow at their home.

Memorial donations in memory of Don may be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. www.stjude.org