William “Bill” McDonald

William Ray (Bill) McDonald passed away peacefully on April 26, 2026 at his home in Silsbee, Texas. Memorial Services will be 2:00 PM Friday June 5, 2026 at Farmer Funeral Home, 415 N 4th street in Silsbee.

He was born December 13, 1926 in Butler, Pennsylvania.   He is preceded in death by his first wife Marjorie Jane Fullerton McDonald, parents Ray W. and Elva R. McDonald, and sisters Edna V. DeSantis and Alice M. Baker.

Bill lived an adventurous 99 years to the absolute fullest.  His childhood was spent during the depression yet his dad had steady employment as a regional bus driver and his mom ran an efficient household with her children, a garden, and pets.   Bill was a responsible son and had a newspaper route, plus shoveled coal into furnaces for neighbors.   He also enjoyed lots of hunting and fishing along with his Boy Scout buddies. 

Immediately after graduating Butler High School in 1944, Bill enlisted in the US Army.  He began Active Service in December 1944 and was deployed to France and Germany with Military Police Battalions until August 1946, including a guard post at General George Patton’s 3rd Army HQ near Munich.  He also served as a desk clerk (due to his typing classes in high school), and a jeep driver (due to having a driver’s license) and quickly earned the rank of Corporal.

Upon his Honorable Discharge, Bill enrolled at Penn State University and graduated with a BS in Forestry in 1951.  He was a Lifetime Member of his beloved Tau Phi Delta forestry fraternity.

While at Penn State Bill and Margie were married in June 1950 and together they shared life with their three children for 50+ years before Margie passed away in 2002.  Their children are David Ray McDonald (wife Mittie) of Plano, TX; Elizabeth Jane Becker (husband Jerome Jr) of College Station, TX; and Sue Ann Irvine (husband Jon) of Crossville, TN.

Bill’s forestry career took the young couple to East Texas in August 1951.  He worked at several Kirby Lumber locations including Bessmay, Kirbyville, and San Augustine; then worked 16 years at the Houston office.   Their final move was to Silsbee in 1971, where Bill served as Manager of Land and Titles until his retirement from Kirby Forest Industries.

Soon thereafter he earned an Associate degree in Real Estate from Lamar University and joined Barfield Real Estate as a Licensed Real Estate Broker.  Bill then spent his time lovingly caring  for Margie during her late years of illness.

As a 75 year old widower Bill knew he had a lot more living to do, and soon embraced love for a second time.  He and Marie Bailey Tennison were married in 2004 and together they embarked on another two decades of grand adventures.  They gardened at home and in the spring spent their summers fishing in Gunnison CO.  They travelled extensively across the US, flew to Hawaii twice, took several cruises, and drove their motor home from Texas to Alaska.  They celebrated birthdays and holidays with their children and many generations of the extended Tennison family in their beloved community of Silsbee.

Bill’s marriage to Marie added 4 more adult children into his life; Patty T. White; Edward Tennison; Rita T. Haley; and Janel Tennison.

Together they share 14 grandchildren…Michael, David, Katherine, Jerome III, Emily, Jared, Jason, Jennifer, Edward, Darin, Gregory, Laura, Andrew, Austin…and 22 great grandchildren.

Bill was not only a company man and a family man but he was also a community servant.  Throughout his life, Bill volunteered with Boy Scouts and the Methodist Church.  He served as President of Silsbee Noon Lions Club, V.P. of Silsbee Little Theater, and Hardin County Chairman of the Republican Party.  Bill and Margie were invited guests for President Reagan’s Inauguration in 1985.

For the past few years, Bill was well cared for at home by Marie and their five daughters.  The family was blessed by assistance from VA home nurses, Hospice palliative care staff, and a valued team of compassionate caregivers.  The family is most thankful to Mandi, Phyllis, Emily and Neta for their deeply generous loving kindness of our beloved husband/father/Papa/and Pappy Bill.

He will be most remembered for his love of hunting and fishing, his curiosity for learning, his sense of humor and gentle spirit, and his craving for chocolate milkshakes and peanut butter cookies.

Bill’s final resting place will be in his home state of Pennsylvania, next to Margie in Clearfield, PA.

Service information, and links to plant a memorial tree in honor of Bill’s love of forestry, will be available on the Farmer Funeral Home website.   

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of William “Bill” McDonald, please visit our floral store.