Palestine High School Alumni Association

06 / 14 / 1899  –  02 / 23 / 1971

Services for Pace McDonald, Jr., of Palestine are at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Hassell & Foster Chapel with Rev. Carroll Fancher officiating.  Burial will follow in the New Addition Cemetery.

Judge McDonald was born in the Mound Prairie Community of Anderson County on June 14, 1899 son of the late Edward Pace McDonald, Sr and Mrs. Lottie E. Herrington McDonald.  He has made his home in Palestine most of his life.  A lifelong member of the Methodist Church, he was a member of the First United Methodist Church here, where he had served on the Board of Stewards.  He was a member of the Methodist Men’s organization and the Men’s Bible Class of that church.

He graduated in 1918 from Palestine High School, where he competed actively in athletics.  Judge McDonald attended Texas A&M University and earned a football letter from that school.  From 1938 until 1942 he served as Anderson County Clerk becoming District Clerk here in 1942.  He held that position until being named County Judge in 1946 and continued in that office until 1951 when he was named as County Juvenile Officer.  It was in that latter office that Judge McDonald ended his long career of public service earlier this year.  He has since been active in operation of the family business, McDonald Real Estate with his wife and son.

All offices in the Anderson Couty Courthouse will close 3 p.m. Wednesday and remain closed the remainder of the day as a tribute to Mr. McDonald.

Survivors include his widow, Mrs. Margueritte Burnett McDonald; son Pace McDonald, III; grandchildren, Amanda Lee McDonald and Edward Pace McDonald IV; sisters, Mrs. M.A. (Johnnie Belle) Davey, Jr. and Mrs. C.G. (Lottie Mae) Joyce, Sr.; and half-sister, Mrs. George (Mattie) Schmidt, Sr., all of Palestine.

Pallbearers will be E.B. Alford, Lacy Kendrick, Sherwood Cook, Luther Johnston, Hoyt Johnston, Judge Wayne Lawrence, Dr. Frank Duphorne, Jim Box Paxton and Dr. Robert Cox.  Honorary pallbearers are all members of the Anderson County Commissioner’s Court, all employees of the county courthouse here and all other friends of the family.

Source:  Palestine Herald Press