Lee N. McDonald

Nathaniel "Nat" Lee Nathan McDonald, 65, of Newnan, GA, formerly of Mobile, AL, passed away on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at Piedmont Newnan Hospital. He was born July 11, 1959, in Mobile, AL to Ms. Judy E. McDonald and Mr. Jessie Lee Hughes (deceased). Nat grew up in Mobile, graduating A.F. Owens Elementary School, Dunbar Middle School, and Murphy High School. He was a consummate professional and highly disciplined master practitioner of varied Martial Arts. He taught uncounted students in the annex of a local community church and Bishop State College. He also managed the celebrated dance group, "Pop Explosion!" He left a profoundly positive and indelible impression on the masses who were fortunate to fellowship with him. His life was shaped by rigor and rhythm-by a restless mind as much as a disciplined body. He was an avid reader whose appetite for knowledge was bottomless. From psychology to physics, from Black history to metaphysics, Nat devoured ideas, theories, and questions, always hungry for a deeper understanding of the world around him. His bookshelves were lined with deep thought and a chronology of some of the most brilliant minds-many of whom he considered peers. Alongside these volumes, he curated an expansive collection of comic books and action figures-not out of nostalgia, but reverence. In them, he saw the myths we live by: justice, transformation, redemption, survival. For Nat, the superhero was more than a metaphor-it was a possibility. He lived by example. His influence was built not through performance, but through presence. He taught by showing up, by practicing what he preached, by folding laughter into learning and play into pedagogy. His wisdom came not only through study and movement but through spirited debate and disarming humor. He believed knowledge was sacred, and to share it was an act of love. That love found its most powerful expression in his family. He was a man deeply devoted to his children and grandchildren-each of whom he poured into with intention and care. To them, he offered his stories, his hard-won truths, and the rich teachings that had guided his miraculous and multi-dimensional life. Sharing what he knew was never about ego; it was about giving them a compass. It was, in the truest sense, his love language. The Memorial Service for Mr. McDonald is Sunday, April 13, 2025, at 12pm at Johnson Lowe Gallery, 764 Miami Circle NE #210, Atlanta, GA 30324. Condolences can be expressed online at www.mckoon.com. Survivors include his wife, Tamila K. McDonald of Newnan, GA; eldest daughter Tekisha L. Presley of Mobile, AL; daughters Breana McDonald, Nathalie McDonald, and Morgan McDonald of Lithonia, GA; children Amber William of Newnan, GA; Shatel Huntley of Carrollton, GA; and Donovan Johnson of Atlanta, GA; grandchildren Demetrius Prince and Dieonta Prince; Ivy Chapman, Verse Wilson, Collin Williams, and Zada Williams. He is also survived by his mother, Ms. Judy E. McDonald Justice of Warner Robins, GA; brother, Mr. Orlando W. Justice of Kathleen, GA; sisters, Pamela R. Justice-York of Sandy Springs, GA, and Latrice Perez of Newnan, GA. McKoon Funeral & Crematory (770) 253-4580.

Lee N. McDonald

July 11, 1959 - April 5, 2025