LEARNING AT THE POTTER'S WHEEL

You are likely wondering who is Marcus E. McDonald.
Before December 1, 2007, I would have given you a blank look and said, "I don't know."

However, something altogether sad and wonderful at the same time happened. Mr. McDonald managed to die at just the right time so that his obituary would appear in Saturday's newspaper. This just happened to be a Saturday when Duke had the time and the extra pocket change and decided to purchase a newspaper. Other days of the week he's working. If he gets the Sunday paper, there's so many sections that we pretty much just scan the verbiage.

But a Saturday paper is just small enough that you might spot a treasure hidden away. That's what happened at our house. We aren't obituary readers. Unless we know we've lost a friend or a loved one, we just don't bother checking it out. So, it was just one of those wonderful things that happened by 'chance' that Duke decided to glance through the obituaries. There, he saw the grinning snapshot of a man in a t-shirt with more than just the standard fill-in-the-blank details. This was an actual letter from Marcus E. McDonald.

We didn't have the pleasure of knowing Mr. McDonald, but he sounds like our kind of fella. Something tells me that I won't be the only blogger posting this obituary. Something tells me that Mr. McDonald would have liked it that way. I suspect that whoever speaks tomorrow is going to have a tough time outdoing the deceased.

COLUMBIA — Can-Sir (lung), by God’s will, finally got me, Marcus Edward McDonald of Columbia, SC 29212 (born and raised in Greenville, SC) on Thursday, November 29, 2007, at age 58. I am writing this obituary, while still alive, on 9/14/07 so my family doesn’t have to go through this. My funeral will be held Monday at 2:00 p.m. December 3, 2007, at Faith Presbyterian Church with interment immediately thereafter in Bush River Road Memorial Gardens. Sorry to have you driving all over the place from the church to the cemetery, but it’s my funeral and I don’t want to hear any excuses for not staying for the interment! Karl McAllister Sr., Pastor, FPC and a great friend of mine, will reside. The pallbearers will be Elders: Steve Arneson, Brad Zamboni, Mike Ruff, and Deacons: Randolph Fuller, Doug Reynolds, and Craig Mandish, in honor of both “Offices” I served as both a Deacon and an Elder and do testify that they are both Spiritual Offices with different duty emphasis only, especially “teaching” (for the Elder).

Surviving me are “God’s best ever gifts to me,” other than all our salvation, which is sure and secure in Jesus the Christ. First, Lisa McDonald, my beautiful, organized, intelligent, Godly wife, mentor, cheerleader, and friend, affectionately known to some as “Lisa Jane,” a nick name I hung on her about 22 years ago that “stuck”...and we are both glad it did, just like our love and enjoyment of each other did. Seems the closer we got to God, the closer we got to each other - try it - you’ll like it. 2nd (in descending order of age) is my wonderful Amanda (Mandy) Joan McDonald, my eldest and “funniest” daughter who I called Roo cause no one else ever knew what it really meant. Roo and I swore not to ever tell. Hey Roo, I took our secret to the grave, surely you can too. Then you can tell ‘em in your own obituary. I can’t wait till you get up here. Man, all these people laugh “forever” (git it?) at a good joke or ruse. You gonna feel like a star in Heaven...I do. 3rd is my “gentle rock of Gibraltar,” Ashley Claire McDonald. In many ways Ash, you are the prettiest because of your “inner beauty” as well as your being photogenic. “The first of my girls to get a college degree” (through perseverance) and a Masters, albeit from Clemson. That would never happen to a Carolina Grad (Lisa and I) in heaven. She was also just awarded Career Counselor of the Year for Charleston County School District. Now for #3- Mary Elizabeth McDonald (“Wiba” to me), (Lisa and mine’s first) what a lovely name...(Mary) Mother of Jesus, (Elizabeth) Mother of John You, young lady, are very special and it will be cool to see (and according to the Bible I can watch) where you end up. You sing to God’s glory, “perform” to everyone’s dismay, you are smart as a whip and pretty as a tulip. Man, oh man, you got it going on! Just don’t ever forget to whom the glory should go for the gifts you received straight from Him, God. So, give back. 4th is Sarah Alice McDonald (Lisa and mine’s 2nd) named for her grandmother (Alice Gorman) and Abraham’s wife (Sarah) and deliberately spelled with an “H”, the dominate letter in YaHweH, God’s official name. Sarah, I always admired your inner “still and graceful” confidence. You are gonna be just fine and do great things. Thanks for being the humble winner you are. Nobody hugs better than you, Peanut and I love you!

That’s really about it. I was a simple man that did not like change (or socks) very much. I started McDonald Enterprises in 1972, after graduating from Carolina in 1971, (one life - one job) and gratefully sold it to my nephew, Bo Ivester, in April 2007, about 35 years later. I was married to Lisa since 1987, and more in love and “enjoyment” with her when I died than when we first married! I led each of my daughters to Christ at our kitchen table and discipled them regularly all their life. Jesus and I literally “walked and talked” all the time since about 1986, and I kept a real “short list of un confessed sins since then”. I believe the reason I was so “free in Christ” (Gal. 5:1, my favorite Bible verse) is because I was so continually forgiven by Him, not because I ever earned “even the thought of righteousness worthy of salvation” but purely because of His grace (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense) to me. I remember saying in ’86, “I ain’t gonna be a closet Christian any more” and I believe I was not. I also hope you are not but if you don’t know Jesus, please understand, according to Him, you’ll never see me again because I’m in Heaven with Him and you can’t get here without Him. Please, think about it and do something about it! My Pastor, my Wife and 4 Daughters, or the Elders and Deacons carrying me, will be glad to show you, even at my funeral, how to receive “The Only Savior available”, Jesus. For those of you that read this and come to my funeral, I thank you on behalf of my family because that’s who you are doing it for, I ain’t gone be there ... I’m in heaven, thank God! If you can’t make it, visitation will be at Caughman-Harman Funeral Home on Bush River Road from 5-7 p.m. on Sunday, December 2, 2007, so drop by but don’t dress up for me. See, my invitation is like Jesus’ invitation to salvation to you...come as you are (and a smiley face goes right there)!

Goodbye for now,

Marcus, aka Markie.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Faith Presbyterian Church, 1811 Dutch Fork Road, Irmo, SC 29063, designated to either the McDonald Scholarship Fund or Growing Through Faith. Marcus was given the opportunity to attend and graduate from the University of South Carolina through a personal scholarship and would like to continue to do that for others. He was also passionate about retiring the debt at his church.