Don McDaniel, age 86, passed peacefully from this world into heaven with family at his side early Christmas Eve morning. Don had a good, full life and was loved by so many friends and family.
He was born at home to hardworking farm parents, Lawrence “Buck” and Eloise “Short” McDaniel on September 1, 1937. They preceded him in death along with two brothers, Gene and Wayne McDaniel, and an infant sister, Mary.
Don attended Beard School, a one-room schoolhouse, and Kell grade school. He started working full-time after his 8th-grade graduation at the age of thirteen for farmer, Melvin Hawkins who ran the elevator in Kell, Illinois. He also helped on the family farm. He spent his weekends hanging around the Kell gas station or restaurant with neighborhood boys. He also enjoyed cruising the square with several other teenage friends. It was there he met his future bride, Wilhelmina “Willy” Walters. They were married on May 3, 1958, and were blessed with sixty-one years of marriage until Willy’s passing in 2019.
During those years, Don farmed, served two terms on the Field School board, was a volunteer fireman for the Kell community, and assisted at L.R. Osborn and Son Funeral Home in Kell. He was a foreman at Centralia Engineers and helped design fertilizer equipment until it closed in the mid-80s. He then partnered with his brother, Wayne to form McDaniel Brothers Carpet and Vinyl Installation. Don loved working alongside his brother until an illness forced him to retire.
Don did not sit idle. He welded for various people and enjoyed carpentry. He became known for building beautiful birdhouses, many of which he sold. He loved gardening, browsing through junk stores, and collecting old tools. He enjoyed Southern gospel music and often traveled with his daughter’s group either running the soundboard or maintaining the motor home. Don had a great sense of humor, he was ornery yet fun to be around. He was a hit at every slumber party his daughters had and would take on a new personality or nickname with each party. Many of Michelle and Diana’s friends still refer to him as those nicknames.
He spent the last four years of his life living with his daughter, Michelle, and her family. He loved buzzing around the farm on his side by side, creating canes, fireplaces, and other creations out in his woodshop. He also loved assisting his son-in-law, Mark on his sawmill or other farm-related projects. He spent cold or rainy days drawing or painting pictures of churches and tractors. He was known and loved as “grandpa” to many neighboring kids.
Don is survived by his daughters, Diana Hayes of Dix and Michelle Rostollan and husband, Mark of Mount Vernon; son, Mike McDaniel and wife, Doris of Kell; his dearly loved grandchildren, Chris Shelton and wife, Kim, Taylor Hayes, Ashton Woodward, Marissa and Miranda Rostollan; great-grandsons, Colton and Trenton Shelton; special niece, Vickie Brumley and husband, Charlie; great-niece, Lori Joy and husband, Greg; and several nieces and nephews.
A Visitation will be held on Sunday, December 31, 2023, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm at Hughey Funeral Home. A Funeral Service will begin at 2:00 pm. Don’s wishes were to be cremated and his burial will be private at a later time.
Call Hughey Funeral Home at 618-242-3348 or visit hugheyfh.com for further information.
