Donald McNelley

Donald Benagh McNelley

83, went to be with God in the early morning of February 16, 2017. His devotion to his family and his firm belief in God supported him during his struggle with Parkinson's disease and ultimately gave him peace. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama and raised in Montgomery where he attended and played football at Sidney Lanier High School. Following graduation from the University of Alabama with a BA and ROTC commission in the Air Force, he went on active duty at Cambridge Bay on the DEW Line in the Canadian Arctic. While there, he assisted an Anglican missionary to the Eskimos in building a new church. He participated in the very first service in the new church on Christmas Eve 1957.

Following his years in the Air Force, he was employed with SDC, an affiliate of the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California. He helped train Air Force divisions in the Air Defense System, the system he had worked with while serving on the DEW Line. Field assignments included time spent in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Alabama. While on assignment in Montgomery, Alabama in 1962, he was involved in the Cuban missile crisis. He then spent five years in the home office in Santa Monica designing war games and battle staff training exercises for NORAD in Colorado. It was during that time he attended law school at night at the University of Southern California. After several years as a corporate lawyer in the stock brokerage industry, he joined a Los Angeles law firm where he became a partner.

Don met his wife, Lovelace, "Love" when they were undergraduates, he at U of A and she at Huntingdon College in Montgomery. He saw her picture in the local newspaper; she had just won a local beauty pageant. He was completely smitten and finally was able to meet her after discovering that a good friend of his was her roommate. After dating a year, they were married two weeks after graduation.

Don and Lovelace were active in their local churches. Don taught adult Sunday school, was a lay reader, and served on the vestry and as Senior Warden. He believed deeply in service to the church and to the community. He served on the boards of the YMCA (Pacific Palisades), FIND, a food bank in the Coachella Valley, Calif. and St. Margaret's school board in Palm Desert Calif. He was a volunteer attorney for the Public Service Law Corporation of the Riverside County Bar Association.

Don will be remembered for his generosity, kindness and service towards others. He had a warm smile and an optimistic view of life. His love of adventure and learning were just a fraction of what made him the interesting man he was. He had an encyclopedic memory for history which included the bible and all things Greek and Latin. He loved traveling, fine wines/beer, reading, tennis, skiing, running, all foods (accept brussel sprouts), animals, children and spending time with friends and family.

Don is preceded in death by his parents William and Dorothy and his brother William Wert. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 year, Lovelace and three children; Caroline (K. Bruce), Anne (Gordon) and Don (Lisa). He also leaves behind eight grandchildren; Bryan (Ashley), James (Melissa), Spencer (Lauren), Vanessa (Jeff), Claire, Ali, Cass, Zachary and a great granddaughter, Parker.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial gift can be made to his favorite organization, Rock Steady Boxing of Southern California, (www.rockysteadyboxingsc.com).