Remembering Mick

I'm sad to share with everyone that my grandfather passed away last week.

Clifton "Mick" McDonald, 87, Odessa, Mo., passed away October 31, 2008. Graveside services with full military honors were held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, November 5, 2008, at Woodlawn Cemetery. Visitation was 6-8 p.m. Tuesday evening at Carson-Speaks Chapel.

Mick was born January 1, 1921, in Lamar, Mo., and grew up there. He was a U.S. Army veteran of WW II. He worked at the Ford Claycomo Plant for 31 years. Mick was a member of the Bee Squares Square Dance Club of Odessa, VFW Post #1000 and attended the Odessa Baptist Church. He loved the outdoors and sports. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, bowling and playing with his grandkids. Mick was preceded in death by his wives Lois Lucille "Cookie" (Cookston) McDonald and Pauline (Burnett) McDonald; sisters Helen Lucille Jarvis and Leah Beth Jarvis and brother Olan Ernest Jarvis. He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Susie McDonald, of the home; daughter Janet K. Whitehead and husband Wayne, Independence, Mo.; stepdaughter Linda Morris and husband Dennis, Winfield, Kan.; granddaughters Heather M. Whitehead, Independence, Mo., Kelly Bumgardner and husband Jeffrey, Karen Morris, all of Wichita, Kan.; and great-grandchildren Miles and Grant Bumgardner.

Mick and my Nana were married in July of 1988. I was 10 years old at the time. Many of my early memories of Mick are setting at the kitchen table playing games. One of his favorite games to play was Farkle (which is a game played with 6 dice), we also played Rummikub. I will be the first to tell you that Mick did not like to lose. I can still picture him now throwing his dice down and scooting back from the table at the end of a game in a disgusted manner if he wasn't the winner.

Mick was known for ALWAYS having a toothpick in his mouth. He is one of the only people I know who can lay their head back (for a little nap) and begin snoring while still holding a toothpick to one side of his mouth without swallowing it.

Mick absolutely loved the water. Everytime he came to Winfield to visit us he wanted to go to the pool at the Country Club. Mick was not a large man, but he always insisted on having me get up on his shoulders and dive off. At some point, I became afraid that I was going to hurt him so I would look for every excuse to not have to do this. I didn't think it would look good in the paper to see a teenage girl breaking an elderly man's back, do you?

This weekend I am hoping to spend some time going through my old pictures (and maybe even my moms) so I can make a collage of photos to share with family. Stay tunned . . .