Donald McElroy

Services for Donald Wayne McElroy, 73, of Flint, will be held on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 11:00 AM at Stewart Family Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Dennis Cable officiating. Burial will be held at DFW National Cemetery. Mr. McElroy passed away Friday, June 8, 2012 at his residence in Flint. Don was born March 3, 1939 in Alice to Fred S. and Annie Mae Watts McElroy. Don was introduced to the funeral home business in Alice. He drove an ambulance for his family’s funeral home while still in high school. Don soon graduated from the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science and after only two years of working for a Dallas funeral home, he was drafted into the US Army where he spent two years in Germany serving in the Army Mortuary Service. In 1972, Don founded the American Mortuary Service to meet a growing need to provide embalming services to area funeral homes. While working in the Dallas area, Don found himself providing mortuary services of several historic events, including the death of President John F. Kennedy, the private plane crash that killed singer Ricky Nelson, the 1985 crash of Delta Flight 191 at DFW International Airport, and the Branch Davidian fire in Waco. Don sold his business in 2000, moving to the Philippines where he taught mortuary science for two years moving back to the Dallas area in 2002. He and his wife Rita later moved to East Texas where Don came to work for Stewart Family Funeral Home where he mentored his fellow colleagues obtaining the status of “senior funeral director”. After serving his communities for many years, Don was recognized for such and he received his 50 years pin as a licensed funeral director. Earlier this Spring, Don received the coveted title of “Funeral Director of the Year” for the East Texas Region. Don touched many lives over the years. His passion for his work and the compassion he showed not only to the countless families he served but to his friends and colleagues cannot be measured but will be treasured. Don is survived by his loving family including his wife of 28 years, Rita McElroy of Flint; daughter, Michelle Debo of Grand Prairie; two sisters, Betty Harris and husband Marvin of Baytown and Phebe Alford of Temple; and by a niece, Jaquita Price and her children, Robby and Bobby, all of Grandbury. He is also survived by many loving friends who will miss his smiling face He is preceded in death by his parents, three sisters and two brothers. Honorary pallbearers will be his co-workers at Stewart Family Funeral Home. Visitation is scheduled from 5:00 –7:00 PM on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Highway, in Tyler.

Donald McElroy

March 3, 1939 - June 8, 2012