Donal Milton

Donal A. Milton passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at the age of 90, surrounded by family who loved and admired him. A man of deep faith, unshakeable optimism, and boundless curiosity, Donal met every season of life with a trademark cheerfulness that lifted all around him. His long life was distinguished by hard work, service, creativity, and an abiding devotion to those he loved.Born on November 15, 1934, in Smackover, Arkansas, to Ralph Norford Milton and Nell Alexander Milton, Donal was the second of six children. During the late 1930s the family settled in Olla, Louisiana, where his character was forged by humble rural beginnings, the chores of farm life, and the challenges of the Great Depression. As a boy he learned to raise vegetable crops to help feed the family—skills he cherished throughout his life, later cultivating abundant gardens on the homestead he and his wife, Jerry Nell, established. After graduating from LaSalle High School in 1952, Donal spent several seasons working as a tree surgeon in Monroe, Louisiana, mastering ropes and saws high in the pines and pecans before heading to the oil fields as a roughneck, derrick man, and eventually a driller—honest labor he always remembered with pride and a radiant smile. He answered his country’s call in the late 1950s, serving two years in the U.S. Army at the Army Missile School, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. When his military service concluded, he resumed his oil‑field career and, in 1962, married the love of his life, Jerry Nell Miles. Their marriage of more than fifty years was a partnership rooted in mutual faith, laughter, and shared purpose.In 1966 Donal suffered a debilitating stroke. The five‑year recovery that followed, while caring for three small children at home, became a testament to his determination—and to the sunny outlook that never left him. Once recovered, he opened M & L Discount Store in Olla with his friend Myron Lindsey, serving the town with friendly service and fair prices. By the late 1970s he was leasing land and developing wells with his father‑in‑law, D.F. Miles, in the Tullos, Urania, and Olla oil fields. In the 1980s Donal founded Milton Operating Company, leading the enterprise until around 1990, and later worked with Chad McCartney at ChadCo to continue his lifelong career in energy exploration.Faith was Donal’s compass. A devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints in Winnfield, he served as Sunday‑school teacher, missionary leader, and trusted mentor. His quiet discipleship showed in his kindness toward strangers, generosity toward friends, and the Christian love he shared with family every day.Outside of work and church, Donal cultivated a rich inner world. A lifelong lover of poetry, he memorized verses by Kipling, Frost, and many others and penned scores of his own poems from boyhood through his final years. He had a passionate interest in world and American history, contemporary politics, and current events—rarely missing a newscast and always eager to discuss the issues of the day with friends and family. Around campfires and at bedtime, he spun imaginative tales—often illustrated on the spot with his deft sketch‑artist’s hand—enchanting children and grandchildren alike with fantastic beasts, rugged heroes, and gentle morals. His artistic skills also extended to drafting precise blueprints for the buildings he constructed on the land he and Jerry Nell purchased in the 1960s.Friends and family will remember Donal’s ready smile, firm handshake, and an almost irrepressible positive energy. He forged new friendships with ease, eager to learn each person’s story, and he maintained a lifelong daily camaraderie with his beloved brother, Richard Milton. He faced the loss of Jerry Nell in 2017 with grace, living independently until the age of 90 and continuing to delight visitors with stories, sketches, spirited discussions about world affairs, and a cheerful outlook that never dimmed. During those later years, he fostered especially close relationships with his neighbors, deeply valuing their help and companionship and counting their daily kindnesses among his greatest blessings.

Donal is preceded in death by his wife, Jerry Nell Miles Milton; his parents, Ralph and Nell Milton; and three siblings, Cora Mae Bass, Josephine Holmes, and Carolyn Thompson. 

He is survived by his sister, Mary Thiels, and his brother, Richard Milton; his three children, Donna Nethery (Mike), Mary Thompson (Neil), and John Milton (Ana); grandchildren, Tiffany Ross (Jeremy), Kathleen DeAnda (Juan), Michael Nethery, Jeromy Thompson (Taylor), Isabella Milton, and Gijhanny Linkemer; great‑grandchildren Gavin Ross, Mason Ross, Sawyer Thompson, Lilah Thompson, Tucker Thompson, Christian DeAnda, Liam DeAnda, and Emmarie DeAnda; and a large extended family who will forever treasure his warmth, humor, and example.

Visitation will be held Saturday, May 3, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Riser Funeral Home in Olla, Louisiana, and a celebration of Donal’s life will follow on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints, Winnfield Ward, with burial afterward at Chickasaw Cemetery near Olla.

Pallbearers: Jeremy Ross, Gavin Ross, Mason Ross, Michael Nethery, Juan DeAnda, Jeromy Thompson, and Sawyer Thompson.Honorary Pallbearers: Tucker Thompson, Liam DeAnda, and Christian DeAnda.

“The tumult and the shouting dies; The captains and the kings depart. Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart.”—Rudyard Kipling, “Recessional”

With humble and contrite hearts, Donal’s family celebrates an ever‑cheerful life faithfully lived and a legacy of love that endures.