Donald A. McGinnis
July 19, 1927 - September 1, 2022 (Age 95)
Rock Hill – Donald “Don” Alexander McGinnis, 95, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on September 1, 2022 surrounded by his family.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday, September 23, 2022 at First Baptist Church, 481 Hood Center Drive, Rock Hill 29730. The family will receive friends immediately following the service.
Don was a native of Mecklenburg County having been born in Charlotte on July 19, 1927. He was the son of the late Carl Edwin McGinnis and the late Margaret Irene Bennett McGinnis. He spent the first 17 years of his life in Charlotte, graduating from Harding High School in 1945 and immediately enlisting in the Navy to serve his country during WWII. Following his discharge from the Navy in February 1946, he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from Cal Aero Tech in Glendale, California and remained in the naval reserves for 16 years. He was the second engineer hired in the Engineering Department at Celanese in Rock Hill. He retired from Celanese after 40 years.
Don was a member of First Baptist Church Rock Hill. He was a Deacon, taught Sunday School for 57 years, sang in the choir for 54 years, and served on numerous committees. He chaired the Building and Grounds Committee for many years when First Baptist was located on Oakland Avenue. He was gifted with a broad technical aptitude that he applied not only in his career but also at home and at the church, where he worked unselfishly taking care of God’s house. He was made an Honorary Life Deacon in 2015.
Don is survived by his wife, Ava Robinson Parks McGinnis. They would have celebrated 70 years of marriage on Christmas Day. He is also survived by his son, Greg McGinnis and wife, Becky; his daughter, Shelley Hamilton and husband, David; grandsons, Alex Hamilton, Seth Hamilton (Lauren), Jonathan McGinnis (Melissa), and Luke Hamilton (Caroline); and three great-grandchildren, Anna Stephens Hamilton, Marshall McGinnis, and Eli Hamilton.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church Building Fund, 481 Hood Center Drive, Rock Hill, SC 29730.
