Raymond D. McDaniel

Mr. Raymond Douglas McDaniel, age 90, of Mt. Juliet, TN passed away peacefully at home in the early hours of November 13, 2024 surrounded by his family.
Born December 31, 1933 in LaGuardo, TN, he was the son of the late Alton Bradshaw McDaniel and Aline Foutch McDaniel. He was a 1951 graduate of Lebanon High School. In 1956, Raymond married Gloria Harper. He served in the Army from 1956 through 1958 and then worked at Ford Glass Plant in Nashville from 1958 until retiring in 1988.
Through the years, Raymond had many nicknames. In his earlier years, he was Mac to friends and family. To his co-workers at Ford, he was "Mule" – the origins of that nickname are something of a mystery. With the birth of his grandchildren, he became Pa – the name he was most proud of and the one he would be known by for the rest of his life among family, friends, and even casual acquaintances.
Mac was a loving son, brother, husband, and father. He grew up in the LaGuardo community along with his sister, Dorothy, and brother, Sam. He and Sam began farming at an early age. They also shared a love of baseball and played together on local teams for many years. "Mule" also played softball with his Ford co-workers for a while. Once he and Gloria married and started their family, they eventually moved to Mt. Juliet where his love for baseball inspired them, along with other parents in the community, to work tirelessly to raise funds, build fields, dugouts, and a concession stand to start the Mt. Juliet Little League. Mac was one of the first coaches for the Little League and coached for several years. In his "spare" time, he continued to farm, eventually buying his own small farm where he grew vegetables and tobacco and raised cattle. Mac was also a skilled amateur mechanic and took a special interest in restoring classic '65 and '66 Mustangs. This hobby provided both his daughters with their first cars.
When grandchildren began to come along, Pa embraced that new role and was a loving and supportive grandfather. After his retirement, one of the greatest joys of Pa's life was the 18 years he and Ma spent taking care of their disabled granddaughter, Kristi, while she lived with them. Pa never stopped farming and continued to have a large garden every year until his last summer when his health would not allow. He grew tomatoes, corn, okra, beans, melons, blackberries, blueberries, etc. He also taught himself to bake and make jams and jellies. He became the first vendor at what is now the Mt. Juliet Farmers' Market where he sold his produce, jams & jellies, and his legendary chocolate pies. His jams have been enjoyed as far away as Denmark. He also began keeping bees, and honey from "Mac's Bees" was highly sought after. He continued to work on cars for family and friends for as long as he was able. Pa loved being outdoors and being active. About the only thing that could keep him inside and sitting when the weather was good was watching Atlanta Braves baseball. When the winter months forced him indoors, he turned to reading and became fond of collections of stories and jokes. He loved sharing them and in the last few years everyone got to hear "Pa's stories" whenever they were with him.
Whether he was Raymond, Mac, or Pa, he was always there to help whoever needed it. He served at his church, volunteered, mentored, delivered Meals on Wheels, and gave his time, money and caring to anyone who needed it. The list of people who considered Pa to be like a second father to them is long. As some of his grandchildren have said in memorializing him, "there'll never be another like Pa."
Raymond and his wife Gloria were together for almost 67 years until Gloria's passing in 2023. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Dorothy Jenkins; brother, Sam McDaniel; and son-in-law, Mike Erwin. He is survived by his children: Karen Erwin, Larry McDaniel, and Diane (Bryan) McFarland; grandchildren: Shelby (Jeremy) Lee, Lindsey Erwin, Doug, Kristi, and Ashlee (Russ Garlow) McDaniel, and Meagan McFarland; great-grandchildren: Macy (Tyler) Stancill, Madelyn and Makenna Lee, Layla McDaniel and Lincoln Stucki, Jay, Aayla, and Ronin Garlow; great-great-grandchildren: Charly & Ella Stancill; and several loving nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank Kathy Waynick for the respite care she provided and the friendship and laughter she brought to Pa. We also want to express our appreciation to the staff at Alive Hospice for their care of him and support of us.
For those who choose to, gifts in memory of Pa may be made to Alive Hospice or The Joy Center. The Joy Center provides learning and social activities for adults with physical and developmental disabilities. Joy Center donations may be left at the funeral home or mailed to The Joy Center, 1449 Burford Rd, Lebanon, TN 37087
Funeral services will be Saturday, November 23, 2024, at 1 PM at Ligon & Bobo Funeral Home with Bro. Rich Tiner officiating. Interment: LaGuardo Cemetery. Visitation: Friday, November 22, 2024, 2 pm – 4 pm and 5 pm – 7 pm and Saturday, November 23, 2024, 11 am – 1 pm
Pallbearers: Jeremy Lee, Jody Jenkins, Jacob Jenkins, David Tipton, Melvin Harper, Chris Harper, Ian Huey, and David Walker
Honorary Pallbearers: Doug McDaniel, Russ Garlow, Randy Jenkins, William Harper, and Jessie Moss