Dudley Oran McDaniel

Dudley Oran McDaniel joined his Almighty Savior on July 5, 2019, at the age of 92.  He was born on June 3, 1927, in Fort Worth, Texas.  He was a resident of Sandia, Texas, and former longtime resident of Alice, Texas, and prior to that Kingsville, Texas

Dudley graduated from High School in Rockdale, Texas in 1944.  Thereafter he graduated from John Tarlton Agricultural College in North Texas in 1946 with an Associate of Science Degree.   He was a WWII veteran in the United States Army and proudly served for a time in Japan during the Post War period.  He then attended Southwest Texas State College in San Marcos and graduated in 1949 with a BBA in Business Administration.  He was employed by Celanese in 1950 and retired in 1986 as its Employee Relations Supervisor. 

He was a member of West Main Baptist Church in Alice, where he served as the men's Sunday school teacher for many years. His passion was his prison ministry which began in 1994 and continued until late 2017.  He found that prison inmates are no different from anyone else, willing to listen and respond to a message of hope and deliverance from a sincerely caring Christian witness.  In 2003 he was honored by Governor Rick Perry in Austin, Texas, with a volunteer Service Award from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.  His wife later joined him and together they continued their prison ministry until, sadly, he could no longer do so any longer. 

He was also a vital partner in the West Main Baptist Church Bible Drill & Speaker's Program which his wife, Wanda, is director.  This program is a discipleship ministry for children and youth, from fourth through 12th grade, to internalize the magnitude of God’s love through scripture memory, Bible skills, and speech preparation, all to respond to life’s situations and strengthen their faith in Christ. The program is in its 16th year, and Dudley's devotion to the program and his affection and love for the 100's of kids who have participated in the program over the years, both past and present, will long be remembered by these kids who loved him as well.   They will surely miss him. 

It was the simple things around him that he never took for granted, commenting daily how fortunate and thankful he was.  He loved life and made the most of each day. He was a man of strong faith, believing in the power and strength of God’s love and the beauty and peace that would await him after his passing.

Above all, he was absolutely devoted to his wife and family.  He was a loving and devoted son, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend.  He was truly a blessing in the lives of his family and friends and will be dearly missed by all who knew him.  He was a kind, caring and compassionate person, who always put the needs of others before his own.

He leaves behind to cherish his memory his loving wife of  35 years, Wanda Faye McDaniel; three children, Walter Dudley McDaniel (Diane), Youngsville, LA; Terri Lynn Smith (Jim), Sugar Land, TX; Tommy Oran McDaniel (Melinda), Grand Prairie, TX; two step children, John Paul Magnus (Shannon), Alice, TX; Gary Wayne Magnus (Sherri), Clear Lake, TX; nine grandchildren: Matthew Scott Blomstedt, Christopher Lee McDaniel, Elizabeth Marie Cortez (Carlos); John Kyle Magnus (Elizabeth); Amber Cheyenne Magnus, Desiree Lorraine Magnus (Jon); Casey Wayne  Magnus (Leah); Shelbi Magnus; and Rebecca Taylor Smith; Six great grandchildren: Zoey, Abbiegail, Conner, Blake, Emmalyn and Brady.

Family will be receiving friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 at Holmgreen Mortuary, 2061 E. Main, Alice, Texas.

Funeral Services and celebration of Dudley's life will be held 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 11, 2019 at West Main Baptist Church , 1001 W. Main, Alice, Texas 78332,  with Pastor David Parks officiating.

Interment with full military honors will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 11, 2019 at the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery, 9974 IH 37 Access Road, Corpus Christi, TX 78410 with Pastor David Parks officiating.

In lieu of flowers, a tax-deductible contribution to the West Main Baptist Church Bible Drill & Speaker's Program in Alice, Texas, would be greatly appreciated.  To contribute go to: www.westmainbaptistchurch.com and click on "give" or mail check or money order to P. O. Box 1229, Alice, Texas 78333.   Indicate on your contribution that it is specifically for the Bible Drill & Speaker's Program. 

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