Lannie C. McDonald III, 50, of Huxley, passed away Saturday, October 5, 2024, in Nacogdoches, Texas.
Funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Friday, October 11, 2024, at Lydia Baptist Church in Huxley with visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m. Bro. Michael McArthur will officiate. Interment will follow at Strong Cemetery in Huxley.
Born August 30, 1974, in Center, Lannie is the son of Lannie C. McDonald Jr. and Sheila Ann Hutto McDonald.
His hobbies included watching wrestling, listening to country music and collecting sports cards. He loved visiting
his friends and keeping up with the community. Lannie was a member of Lydia Baptist Church all his life. It was there he dedicated his life to Christ 37 years ago.
Lannie was full of life and loved BIG.
He was loved and protected by all his classmates. If you couldn’t be nice to him or say nice things about him, you couldn’t be their friend. They all went crazy cheering him on the day he was awarded a full college scholarship.
Lannie graduated from Shelbyville High School in 1993 and was a BIG supporter of the Dragons. Still to this day, everybody remembers how loud and proud he was of his school and his football team. You could always count
on him to be at every pep rally and every football and basketball game cheering on his Dragons. He was awarded Most School Spirited by his classmates and was presented the Top Dragon Award his senior year by the
Principal, Burley Lamb.
Lannie would often run and bump into other kids at school and say he was a football player. Everybody was concerned he would hurt himself when he would randomly run into a brick wall and bounce off, but he said, “No,
I’m not…I’m just practicing football.” He was very proud of the football presented to him by Rusty Hall signed by all the football players…to be displayed in the center of his casket spray. Till his last breath, he would still
express his love for the “Mighty Dragons.”
He also loved the Dallas Cowboys and was able to attend several games at the Dallas Cowboy Stadium with
Burley Lamb. He could tell you all the stats from previous games from memory. He proudly wore his Dallas Cowboy’s jacket anytime it was cold enough. His love for football was remarkable!
He loved sports, but he loved his Jesus even more. His senior quote was, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. I know He will be with me whatever I do.”
Lannie now has a front row seat to all the ballgames with the best view ever. I bet Burley Lamb met him at the gates and said, “I’ve been waiting on you to talk about football.”
What a day that will be when we reunite with Lannie. He was so loved and will never be forgotten.
He is survived by his parents, Lannie C. McDonald Jr. and Sheila Ann Hutto McDonald; and cousins, Chastity
Wilkins, Jagger Hudman, Chesney Wilkins, Cutter Bradshaw, Chyler Bradshaw, R.W. McDonald, Kayla Jingles, and Debbie R.
He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Foster and Grace Hutto and Lannie McDonald Sr. and Willie Mae
McDonald; aunt, Judy Wilkins; uncles, W.T. McDonald and J.E. McDonald; and cousin, John McDonald.

Online condolences & tributes can be sent at www.watsonandsonsfuneralhome.com