Portia Hargrove Mcdonald

Mrs. Portia Hargrove McDonald, born March 18, 1943, departed this world to receive her eternal reward on April 10, 2022, at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Georgia. Visitation with the family will be held on Friday, April 15, 2022, at 1:00 PM in Heritage Hall at Sandersville United Methodist Church, 202 W Church Street, Sandersville, Georgia, to be followed by a service to celebrate her life in the church sanctuary at 2:00 p.m. Reverend Dr. Stan Littleton will officiate.

Portia grew up on a farm on a dirt road in Eastman, Georgia where she spent wonderful times with her siblings, cousins, and lifelong friends.  According to a treasured family collection The Pond, the Porch, and the People: Memories of the Hargrove Family , Portia enjoyed riding on the tractor with her Uncle Harry while he planted sweet potatoes, syrup-making, and hog-processing in the fall (although some of her daughters-in-law can’t imagine this).  She said some of her greatest experiences were learning to play the piano, sew, and cook.  All of these skills went on to become a large part of her identity as an adult.  Throughout her school years Portia occasionally played the piano for another friend to sing at various events, never imagining that one day their children would marry and produce the first grandchild for them both.  Portia graduated from Dodge County High School in the Class of 1961 where she was recognized for being an honor graduate and student with the highest SAT score as well as having the peer-given title of “Most Likely to Succeed.  And succeed she did!

Upon graduation from high school, Portia moved to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains where she attended college at North Georgia College (currently, University of North Georgia) in Dahlonega.  It was here where she met the love of her life, Theodore McDonald, III, a Dublin, Georgia native and fellow student who became her husband in 1964.  Portia graduated from NGC with a B.S. in Home Economics.

Preceding Portia in death are her parents, Rachel Hill Hargrove and Ray Hargrove, and her sister Priscilla (Prisci) Hargrove-Butler.

Left behind to mourn her loss are Retired Col. Theodore McDonald, III, her husband of 58 years, as well as three sons and their wives:  Kevin Theodore McDonald (Melissa) of Tampa, Florida; Matthew Hill McDonald (Dina) of Macon, Georgia; Steven Smith McDonald (Kellie) of Canton, Georgia.  Portia’s legacy also lives on through the lives of her grandchildren whom she adored:  Rachel Anne McDonald of Macon, Georgia; Alexandra Nicole McDonald Bloch (Dylan) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Jacob Matthew McDonald (Sara) of Marietta, Georgia; Caden James McDonald of Tampa, Florida; Edwin Thomas McDonald of Canton, Georgia; and Grace Kellie McDonald of Canton, Georgia.  Portia also has a surviving brother William (Bicky) Leroy Hargrove (Niki) of Petoskey, Michigan; multiple nieces and nephews; and a faithful lapdog Shih Tzu named Bailey.

Portia may have been a country girl by birth, but marriage to her career Army husband gave her the opportunity to travel the U.S. and other countries as well.  As typical in service families, Portia lived in many places over her adult life: Fort Campbell, Kentucky (where her firstborn son was born); Fort Benning, Georgia (where her middle son was born while his father was in Viet Nam); Dahlonega, Georgia; Worms, Germany (where her youngest son was born in the military hospital in Frankfurt); Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Stone Mountain, Georgia; Tampa, Florida; Peachtree City, Georgia; the Ansbach community in Germany; and Hinesville, Georgia.  During their time overseas, Portia was thrilled to have the chance to travel with her family, including her mother and in-laws, to places like Austria, England, Czechoslovakia, and the Netherlands.

Portia and Theo moved to their most recent home in Sandersville, Georgia in 1998 when Theo became the President of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce; and they remained there for the next 24 years , the longest period of time they had ever lived in one location.

If you ask Portia’s family and friends about their thoughts of her, you will hear answers like this: “Her faith was an inspiration, and she was a blessing to all who knew her.”  “She was an exemplary lady and leader in her military community.”  “She was a wonderful lady and a faithful servant to God daily.”  “What an awesome legacy she leaves!”  “She is an amazing lady with admirable perseverance.”  “She will be missed in our church and community.”  “She had the biggest smile!”  “Such a blessing she was to all of those who knew her!”  “She was such an amazing lady with a servant’s heart.” “What a loss for so many!”  “Portia led an extraordinary life.”  “She was a beautiful person inside and out and will be missed!”  “What a privilege to call her my beautiful dear friend!”  “She was a beloved classmate!”  “She was such a precious servant of the Lord.”  “She was one of a kind!”  “She was the most courageous person I have ever known.”  “She was an amazing lady who had such determination not to allow her physical limitations to limit her.”  “She had a life well lived and loved!”  “She had the most determination of anyone I know.”  “She was always so sweet and optimistic about everything.”  “She was a beautiful spirit.”  “She was an amazing woman.”  “She faced every challenge with dignity and a sense of humor. I was so blessed to call her my friend!”  “She had a warrior spirit.”  “Her strength and resiliency were unmatched.”  “We are better for her presence in our lives.”  “She had every reason to complain yet never did.”

You see, Portia struggled with multiple sclerosis for forty years but as one of her daughters-in-law said, she didn’t take on MS as her identity.  She was simply Portia McDonald, who happened to have an illness.  Indeed, Portia was much more.  She took on many roles with the most important ones being a dedicated wife, mother, and grandmother.  She was the perfect Army wife and demonstrated a lifetime of service to her family, her friends, her church, her community, and her country.  She served as a role model and mentor to countless young Army wives over the years.  Portia worked as a part-time Extension Agent during her years in Hinesville, but for most of her other work she received no financial compensation.  Most of her work on Earth was a labor of love and far exceeded any monetary value.

In her earlier years, she stayed busy raising three rambunctious boys, many years as a sole parent while their father was deployed.  Among the many jobs she had during these years was nurse (e.g., when one son shot another in the head with a BB gun), artisan (e.g., when re-gluing her angel figurines together for the fifth time after the boys thought it was a good idea to toss a tennis ball in the house), bus driver (e.g., for when the boys lived a long way from school), and organist and church hostess at Lake Carroll Baptist Church in Tampa.  She was an exceptional cook and was proficient at all types of needlework.  As one daughter-in-law said, she was a modern-day Martha Stewart and the ultimate homemaker.  Her devotion to family is evident in the recollection of one son that during the time that they were living in Stone Mountain, one of the things he most looked forward to was watching The Muppet Show as a family each week.  Another son’s favorite memory came during a road-trip-gone-wrong when a car repair required an unexpected hotel stay for several days; he thought it was the best time ever as the family spent hours playing Uno to pass the time.

As her boys turned into men and married, Portia spent hours planning for family gatherings to celebrate holidays, birthdays, or Tuesdays.  She loved any reason to plan a menu, choose the table linens, and prepare magnificent feasts (even “by remote” as one of her sons said in her later years when she had to rely on helpers for cooking and cleaning).  Portia spent painstaking hours crafting baby quilts and making Bob the Builder and Barbie birthday cakes; birthday crowns; matching mother/daughter/doll dresses; monogrammed and embroidered sheets, towels, and table linens; and personalized seasonal throw pillows and other decorations for her sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren.  Many brides and high school graduates also found themselves recipients of her handiwork.

Portia did not believe in passive church membership.  She participated fully in as many capacities as possible at Sandersville United Methodist Church.  She played in the handbell choir and ensured that her famous rolls made it to every church meal.  During these empty nest years in Sandersville, she actively used her talents and skills to help shape another generation of children not related by blood.  Portia and Theo helped with puppet theater in Vacation Bible School, a fact much appreciated by their eldest granddaughter who spent multiple years on the puppet team at her own church.  She helped with the Wednesday After School Program with the Bible lessons and crafts and frequently opened her home and pool for the enjoyment of the youth.  Portia channeled her creative energies for months on end preparing for Breakfast with Santa and the Christmas Store.  As her church friend who worked alongside her in these endeavors said, Portia “never half-did anything.”

Portia may have been confined to a wheelchair for many years; but she often walked Memory Lane, describing in great detail her adventures and life experiences.  She loved to talk about family, politics, current events, and history.  She had an amazing memory and impeccable taste.  To survive a household of young men, she also developed a keen sense of humor.  When her beloved husband would tease her about “taking Pots and Pans 101” in college; she would respond to him (a history major), “Well, all you know is ‘Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred and ninety-two!”  Portia was a master story-teller and was in her element describing all her storied history.  Her loved ones who are left behind will miss this master story-telling, but take comfort in the knowledge that she is now walking with the Master.

Donations may be made in Mrs. McDonald’s memory to the Multiple Sclerosis Association, www.secure.mymsaa.org/donate, or to the charity of your choice.

May and Smith Funeral Directors is in charge of these arrangements.

Condolences may be made online at www.mayandsmithfuneraldirectors.com