May 23, 1925 – October 21, 2022
McWilliams
Donald Garrett “Mac” McWilliams died at his Fair Oaks Ranch home surrounded by family on Oct.21, 2022. Mac was 97 and was born in Ballinger, Texas, on May 23, 1925. His father, Richmond Earl McWilliams, served as sheriff of Runnels County and later as a Texas Ranger. His mother, Ella Mae Woods, was a great grandniece of Robert E. Lee as well as a descendant of two signers of the Declaration of Independence. He had four brothers and five sisters. Five of the ten children served in WWII. One was killed in Italy and two earned Silver Stars. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943, being assigned to the First Marine Division, 5th Infantry Regiment, and he fought throughout the Pacific in New Britain, Peleliu, and Okinawa. He also served in China. Returning to the U.S. in 1946, he enrolled at Texas Tech where he met Margaret Melcher – the young lady who would be his wife and best friend for 76 years. He graduated with a degree in Petroleum Engineering and later worked for SEI, Sinclair Oil, Skelly Oil and, finally, Tenneco Oil and Gas. Starting in the Permian Basin (Midland), he went on to work in Labrador, the Sahara Desert, the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
He authored books about his time in the Marine Corps (Never Too Old to Cry), a story of life after war (Courage of a Small Town Son) and a history of his family (If It Had Only Rained). Growing up during the Great Depression he valued family, honesty and integrity above all.
All of his siblings preceded him in death. He is survived by wife Maggie, son and daughter-in-law Gary and Jeri McWilliams of Fair Oaks, daughter Connie Jones of Pflugerville, and daughter and son-inlaw Cindy and Ben Walthall of Austin. Life blessed him with eight grandchildren (Patrick McWilliams, Scott & wife Lupita McWilliams, Matthew & wife Minna McWilliams, Joshua McWilliams, Jennifer & husband Scott Kulle, Christina Jones, David & wife Johanna Walthall and Alexa Walthall). He was doubly blessed with 10 great-grandchildren (Devin, Grayson, Mark and Miles McWilliams, Alex and Will Kulle, Katie and Sam Walthall, and Lily and Rylie Walthall).
Services will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Boerne at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 4. Interment will be at Mission Burial Park North, and a reception will follow back at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests consideration of donations to Wish for Our Heroes (wishforourheroes. org) or Honor Flights San Antonio (honorflightsanantonio. org) Arrangements are under the care and direction of the staff of Holt & Holt Funeral Home of Boerne. To share words of comfort with the family, please visit www. holtfh.com.
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