Willie Dean Donehoo

Willie Dean Donehoo, 89, a 52 year resident of Mesquite, Texas, who had just moved to Lewisville, in January 2023, passed away on Saturday, August 19, 2023 with his wife and daughter by his side. He had been ill for a long time.

Willie was born on June 11, 1934 in Murchison, Texas to Robert Elmer Donehoo and Lela Donehoo. Willie and his brothers, Delma and Doyle, grew up in East Texas. They lived in Athens, Mabank, and then finally on to Kaufman. The Donehoos were by no means wealthy. The Donehoo boys picked cotton and baled hay as children and teens. The Donehoos definitely were no stranger to hard work and hard times.

Willie graduated from Kaufman High School in 1954. He graduated alongside his brother Delma, as his mother made him wait to start school so that he and Delma could go together since they were so close in age. He spoke fondly of his high school days and friends. After high school Willie attended Henderson County Junior College. However, he decided he needed a job, but could not find one as all employers said that he would just get drafted anyway. With no luck on the job front, Willie asked the draft board to pull his number and go ahead and draft him.

Willie was in the Army and had his basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. After basic training, he was sent to Korea immediately after the Korean conflict. He was a guard at the border of North and South Korea. He said that they used to get shot at daily even though the conflict was supposedly over. He then went on to the Troup Information and Education department and taught 10th grade History. He was also a correspondent for the military newspaper, “The Stars and Stripes.”

After leaving the Army, Willie returned to Texas. He had several jobs before landing a job at The Mercantile Bank in Dallas, Texas. Willie met his future wife, Sherry, while he was a cashier and she would bring over her paycheck to be cashed. Meanwhile, Willie continued his service to the country in the National Guard and was activated during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Willie and Sherry married August 30, 1963. They had a small apartment in Oak Cliff and then moved to a small home in Pleasant Grove. Their only child, a daughter, Terry, was born in May 1964.

In 1967 the family moved to Balch Springs. By this time, Willie was working at Youngstown Sheet and Tube. Willie enjoyed politics and was very active in the Balch Springs political scene in the late 1960’s. Also, during this time, Willie was a 6th grade Sunday School Teacher at a small Baptist Church. He loved children and he had the gift of gab.

In 1971 the family moved to 4322 Scottsdale in Mesquite, Texas. Where he enjoyed local politics as the Republican Precinct Chairman. Although a Republican Precinct Chairman, Willie would never pull a straight ticket. He viewed himself as a moderate and would happily debate all sides of an issue. He also continued to enjoy his job and coworkers. Youngstown Sheet and Tube became Continental Emsco. He was particularly fond of his ride share group which included his wife and several coworkers. When the oil industry went bust in the 1980’s, Willie and all of his coworkers found themselves unemployed. He took several small jobs until he was hired by the University of Texas at Dallas as a Security Guard. He eventually transferred to the UTD Callier campus. He enjoyed Callier immensely. Callier gave him the opportunity to talk and to be around children.

It cannot be stressed enough how much Willie enjoyed talking and telling stories. He wrote journals and loved telling about his life on his Facebook page.

Willie is predeceased by his parents, Robert Elmer and Lela, his two younger brothers, Doyle and Delma, and sister-in-law, Shirley. Willie missed his brothers and was never quite the same after the passing of Doyle in 2017 and Delma in 2019. The passing of Shirley (Doyle’s wife) hit him particularly hard in November 2019.

He is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Sherry. His daughter Terry Blythe (Ken), granddaughter Casey Williams (David) and grandson Justin Gilbert (Katherine). He is also survived by numerous nephews and nieces and cousins all of whom he loved very much. Also, the survivor list would not be complete without mentioning his beloved orange cat, Garfield.

Services will be held at Eubank Funeral Home in Canton, Texas on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 2 pm with a visitation at 1 pm. Willie will be greatly missed by all of his family and friends.