Donald Ray Lockhart Sr. Funeral Program

Donald Ray Lockhart Sr., age 70, passed away on Sunday, September 1, 2024, at Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Georgia. He was the 9th of 13 children born September 24, 1953, in Simpson County, Mississippi. He was preceded in death by his wife, Laureen Hardy Lockhart; his mother, Genora Edwards; his father, Walter Thomas Durr; and five siblings, Walter, Oscar, Preston, Clefston and James.

He was a 1973 graduate of Mendenhall High School where his basketball team won a State Championship. He married Laureen Hardy Lockhart May 13, 1978, in Mendenhall, Mississippi, and they were married for 42 years until her passing in 2020. To this union, two children were born.

Donald graduated from Mississippi Industrial College in 1977 before joining the United States Marine Corps in 1978. Upon retirement as a Gunnery Sergeant, the family moved back to Mendenhall where he later retired for the second time from Boswell Regional Center. He also moonlighted as a referee for Junior High and High School Basketball games. He was a member of St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church in Magee, Mississippi.

Donald was known by his family and friends as a quiet and calm man. His voice was rarely raised unless it was in laughter. He was always quick with a smile and never short on encouragement. He loved to travel and experience the world. Most of all, he loved his family. His quiet devotion to his wife of 42 years, his care for his two children and the way he doted on his two grandchildren defined who he was as a pillar of his family.

He leaves to cherish his memory: two children, Diedra Dixon of Conway, Arkansas and Donald (Magdalena) Lockhart, Jr. of Killeen, Texas; a granddaughter, Corrin Dixon and a grandson, Gabriel Lockhart. He is survived by two sisters, Doris Buckley of Gulfport, Mississippi and Helen Lockhart of Magee, Mississippi and five brothers, Thomas Charles (Sandra) Lockhart of Magee, Mississippi; Gary (Sue) Durr of Concord, Massachusetts; Jerry (Fay) Durr of Magee, Mississippi, Troy (Susanne) Durr, Sr. of Magee, Mississippi and Roy Durr of Hattiesburg, Mississippi and a host of nieces and nephews.