Wallace Donelson

Wallace Donelson, a long-time resident of Baytown, was born on July 5, 1918 in Normangee, Texas, Leon County near the Navasota River, to Henry and Mallie Ann Wallace Donelson. The family moved to Huntsville when he was a young teen and they lived on 17th Street across the street from the old Bearcat Stadium. On October 11, 1941, Wallace married the love of his life, Bernice Phifer Donelson. They were married 55 years until her death in 1996. Two months after their wedding day, while listening to the radio, they heard the report of the attack upon Pearl Harbor. His Texas National Guard unit based in Huntsville, Texas was mobilized immediately and assigned to the U.S. Army’s 36th Division, 143rd Infantry, “F” Company. His outfit was sent to North Africa where he served in a guard unit for President Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. On September 3, 1943 his division boarded a ship in preparation for the invasion of Italy at Salerno. He was captured on September 13, 1943, and spent 19 months as a Prisoner of War, and released on April 14, 1945. He commended the Red Cross with saving his life by delivering packages that periodically made their way past the guards. He returned to his bride and was hired by the Humble Oil and Refining Company in Baytown, and retired from the Chemicals Division of Exxon in 1981. He was a quiet man of faith who always spent much less than he earned, gave generously, raised a family and loved and served his country. His parents, an infant son, brother H.M. Donelson, sister Louise Donelson Hayes and his much beloved wife, Bernice Phifer Donelson, precede him in death. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law: Deanna and Charles Eastburn, grandchildren: David Eastburn and wife Heidi Eastburn, Sarah Eastburn and great grandchildren: Joel Wallace, Micah and Rachel Eastburn. In lieu of flowers, please send remembrances to St. Mark’s Methodist Church (Baytown), First Baptist Church (Groesbeck), the American Red Cross, Providence Hospice (Waco) or the Wounded Warrior Project. A visitation will be held at Groesbeck Funeral Home on Sunday, January 18 from 3 until 5 P.M. The graveside service will be conducted at the Evans Chapel Cemetery near Leona, Texas at 11 a.m. on Monday, January 19 with full military honors.