09/15/2020
Donna Moore McSwain, 59, of Center, passed away Saturday, September 12, 2020, in Center.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday, September 14, 2020, at Watson & Sons Funeral Home in Center. Funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 15, 2020, at Watson & Sons Chapel with Bro. Rusty Hall and Bro. Kevin Windham officiating. Interment will follow at Old Salem Cemetery in Shelby County.
Donna Marie McSwain was born November 16, 1960 in Center, Texas. She has lived most of life here with her family, as well as a brief time in Ruston, Louisiana.
She met her husband Ronnie while attending Center High School, and got married a year after her graduation, in 1980. They went on to have 40 years together with 5 kids and a herd of grandkids.
She was known for being selfless and for being a fighter. She spent most of her days making sure everyone else was taken care of. Biologically, she had 5 children, but she really was like a mom to all her nieces, nephews, and children’s' friends. She would even give strangers from the grocery store a ride home or offer you her slice of pie if you simply glanced at it for too long. So concerned about others, she often forgot about herself. It would be close to dinner time (I'm sorry - supper time - we would argue about that, but she would not budge. That is just one example of her profound stubbornness.) and we would have to ask her if she had eaten that day. Usually the answer was along the lines of "oh yeah I had a 1/4 of a biscuit this morning."
Always on the road, she may have been running errands for her husband at the log woods, taking her kids to or from school, or going to get herself a tobacco barn coke. If you ever saw her driving by, it was only for split second because she was always late and in a hurry… and probably putting on mascara.
If she wasn't busy taking care of everyone, she'd be reading murder mysteries, sharing pictures on Facebook, watching Lifetime movies, singing out of tune, or making up silly songs in the car.
By the way she liked to talk, you would have never thought that she was shy growing up. She always had plenty of stories to tell, including times of her working at The Red Kitchen where she learned to make the best gumbo around.
She grew up with a large family, married into one just as big, and made friends with everyone she met. The love they all shared is simply unmeasurable.
She looked forward to the day she would be reunited with her own mother. Though, despite being late to every event that ever occurred, she was the first of her siblings to see her mama again.
She is survived by:
Her husband, Ronnie McSwain
Children:
Justin McSwain and wife Amanda
Jacob McSwain and wife Kyrsten
Jennifer Watson and husband Sean
Julie McSwain and James Holt
Jessi McSwain
Grandchildren:
Jeffrey
Caleb
Jasper
Kason
Clayton
Laina
Noah
Emerson
Audrey
Brothers and sisters:
Charles Moore
David Moore and wife Deborah
Martha Smith and husband Bob
Carl Moore
Debra Sowell and husband Glenn
Donald Moore and wife Beth
Barbara Harding
Mother-in-law, Mildred McSwain
Preceded in death by her parents, Waymon Moore and Janette Colvin Moore Byrd; father-in-law, James Lee McSwain; and grandparents, William Bryce Moore and Pearl Anderson Moore and Raymond T. Colvin and Angie Spencer Colvin.
Pallbearers will be Donna’s nephews.
Online condolences & tributes can be sent at www.watsonandsonsfuneralhome.com
