A graveside service for Donnie Ray Wilder will be held on Saturday, July 11, 2020 at Rose Hill Gardens Cemetery at 10:00a.m. Visitation will be held on Friday, July 10, 2020 from 5:00-7:00p.m. at Downs Funeral Home.

Donnie Wilder was born March 30, 1952 in Hallsville, TX to Charles Henry Wilder and Alice Ruth Franklin Wilder.

Donnie attended Pine Grove, Booker T. Washington, and Carver Elementary schools. He graduated from H. B. Pemberton High School where he was a star baseball player on the historic state championship winning team. After high school, he worked three summers fighting forest fires with the pine ranger service in Wallawa-Whitman National Forest located in Oregon.  He attended Prairie View A&M and studied Agricultural Science.

Later in life he went back to school earning a B.S. Organization Management in 1994 from Wiley College. He served as an inspiration to his children.

He worked for Norit America/ICI/Darco for 30+ years as a millwright and later detail foreman.  He was a natural born leader serving as President of the Fitness facilities, Vice-President of the local union, and member on the Darco Credit Union Board.  He fervently believed in family and made it his mission to continue the family reunion tradition.

Donnie accepted Christ at an early age and was a faithful member of New Point Church of Christ.

He met and married the love of his life Sondra Clark and unto their union three children were born.

Our beloved Donnie departed this earthly life on July 7, 2020.  He was preceded in death by his parents Charles and Alice Wilder, two brothers John Henry Wilder and James Curtis Wilder, and one sister Arthur LaVell Jernigan.

He leaves to cherish his memory: His loving wife Sondra Wilder, his daughters Michelle (Kervin) Barnett of Plano, TX, Kristy Wilder of Aubrey, TX, Natasha Wilder of Aubrey, TX; Four grandchildren Kayla, Kason, Jalan, LeAna; one sister Alice Taylor, brothers Carl (Joyce) Wilder and Harvest (Karen) Wilder all of Marshall, TX; Mother-In-Law Myrtle Clark of Marshall; one brother-in-law/brother Leon Clark of Marshall, TX and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.