Sylvia Sharon McDonald of Krum, TX passed away peacefully at home with family by her side on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. She was born February 15, 1935, in Shreveport, Louisiana and was the second of seven children born to Oris and Lois McGatlin.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs Oris McGatlin, her son Michael Howard McDonald, daughter, Sharon Marie Kaszynski, son-in-law, Eric Bernard Kaszynski, and sister Barbara McGatlin Lampley.

She is survived by her husband George Howard McDonald, daughters Katherine Loris Fehler (Ronald), Barbara Ann Monroe (Frazier), Patricia Lynn Sanders (Thomas), and Nancy Zambrano, her daughter-in-law Virginia McDonald, her sisters Lynda Ivey and Peggy Roberts, and her three brothers Ronald McGatlin, Jimmy McGatlin, and Donnie McGatlin, thirteen grandchildren, Eric Kaszynski III, George Kaszynski, Sylvia Brown, Stephanie McDonald, Mary McDonald, Leslie Dalton, Bryan Dalton, Jo Ann Pelmore, Lee Roy Pelmore III, James Pelmore, Crystal Mitchell, Vanessa Fillingim, and Cody Zambrano, nineteen great grandchildren, and  six great great grandchildren.

Sylvia married her high school sweetheart George McDonald on October 28th, 1950, in Lewisville, TX.  George was the love of her life, and they celebrated 74 years of a happy marriage and life together. In their younger days they enjoyed square dancing even getting to dance demonstrations for the Cotton Council at the Baker Hotel in Dallas, TX.

She and George spent a lifetime of being entrepreneurs. They started a business with her father, Oris McGatlin, Texas Gage, where they manufactured industrial instruments.  After Oris retired and sold his part of the business to Sylvia and George Sylvia worked alongside with George as well as their children to build a very profitable business. After they sold the company and retired, they started a ranch in Krum, TX where they raised Charolais cows and farmed the land.  Sylvia took great pleasure in washing and grooming the cows for cattle shows all over Texas. After she stopped showing cows, she came out of retirement and became the owner of Krum Flower Shop in Krum, TX.  A few years later she opened a restaurant called Ma and Pa's Kettle and worked the flower shop restaurant along with some of her children and grandchildren helping. After many years of success, they sold the business and retired again. After a few years they went to Slidell, TX and opened up a Ma and Pa's Store and Cafe.   When they sold this property to retire, she stayed retired except for making pies and cakes for old customers for the holidays.

Sylvia was her happiest during holidays when she baked and cooked for her family of six kids and thirteen grandchildren where they would all meet at her house to eat and celebrate and to catch up on what was going on in their lives. She also enjoyed vegetable gardening, raising chickens, and reading.

Honorary pall bearers will be her six grandsons: Eric Kaszynski III, George Kaszynski, Bryan Dalton, Lee Roy Pelmore III, James Pelmore, and Cody Zambrano.

In lieu of flowers George is asking for donations to be sent in her name to the Slidell Volunteer Fire Department at gsvfd.us.

Visitation will be held September 3, 2024, from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. at Bill DeBerry Funeral Directors.

Funeral service will be held September 4, 2024, beginning at 10:00 A.M. in the chapel of Bill DeBerry Funeral Directors.