Our Staff

Lauren W. McDonald, Jr

Owner

A native of Commerce, GA, Bubba graduated from the University of Georgia and for many years owned the ACE Hardware and Building Supply in Commerce. In 1997 he established McDonald and Son Funeral Home with his son, Lauren W. McDonald, III.

Elected as a Jackson County Commissioner in 1968 he went on to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1971 to 1990. He ran for governor in 1990 and served as the President of Georgians for Better Transportation from 1992 - 1998. Bubba currently serves as Chairman of The Georgia Public Service Commission.

Bubba has been an active volunteer serving as a Presbyterian Elder, on the Board of Governors SBDC (UGA), on the Board of Governors of Mercer Medical College, and as a member of the Jaycees and Kiwanis. He also served as the Fire Chief in Commerce, GA for 25 years.

Bubba is committed to continuing the tradition of caring for families in our community as if they were part of his family as they travel life's most difficult journeys.

Telephone: 1-770-886-9899

Lauren W. McDonald, III

Owner

Cell Phone: (678) 524-0066

Lauren and his wife, Claire, live in Cumming with their two sons, Wylie, Ridley and daughter, Hailey.   A proud graduate of the University of Georgia, Lauren is also a graduate of Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service. He is an active member of Cumming First United Methodist Church, Lanier-Forsyth Rotary Club where he is a past president, member of The Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce and a Mason.  Lauren has served on various boards to include Forsyth County Arts Association, Northeast Georgia Boy Scouts, United Way of Forsyth County, Sawnee Civic Center and 12 years on The Georgia State Board of Funeral Service. He also served as a volunteer fireman with Forsyth County for 22 years.  He currently is an elected official in Forsyth County. In his spare time, Lauren loves coaching high school football at Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia where his two boys attend.

Telephone: 1-770-886-9899

Email: 

Claire McDonald

Owner/Funeral Director

Having always lived in the Atlanta area, Claire was born at Piedmont Hospital, graduated from Walton High School in Marietta, graduated from the University of Georgia in Athens with a Bachelor of Science in biology.  She was a Phi Mu at Georgia. After graduating Claire worked for her family's manufacturing company in Smyrna for twelve years.

Claire and her husband, Lauren, married in 2001 and live in Cumming with their three children: Wylie IV, Ridley and Hailey. In 2014 she completed her studies at Ogeechee Technical Institute and received her Funeral Service Education degree.  She is a licensed funeral director and embalmer.

Claire is an active member at Cumming First United Methodist Church and a member of UMW. She is a past executive member of the UMW Board and has served on the committee for the consignment sale for the past few years.

Claire is President of The Rotary Club of Forsyth County where she is a Paul Harris Fellow.  She also serves on the board of Directors for Jesse's House and Family Haven. One of Claire's passions is mentoring kids in the local elementary schools.

Telephone: 1-770-886-9899

Email: 

Paul W. Holbrook

Funeral Director

Paul is a Forsyth County native who currently lives in Cumming with his wife Tracy. They have three daughters: Daphne, McKenzie, and Madison. He has three grandchildren Gracie, Charlie and Lyla.

He graduated from South Forsyth High School in 1992 and from Gupton Jones College of Funeral Service in 1995.

Paul has degrees in Mortuary Science, Criminal Justice, and Forensic Science. He became a licensed Funeral Director in 2013.  He and his family are active members of Pine Crest Baptist Church.

Paul served Forsyth County as a Deputy Coroner for 4 years; and was elected Forsyth County Coroner in 2020.

Telephone: 1-770-886-9899

Email: 

Brian S. Todack

Funeral Director

Brian joined the McDonald Family staff in December of 2015. He is a native of South Florida. 

Brian graduated from W. L. Philbrick School of Mortuary Science at Miami-Dade in 1994.  He has worked in the funeral industry since 1988 in South Florida until moving to Georgia in 2006.

Brian has one son, Ryan, and currently lives in Hall County.

Telephone: 1-770-886-9899

Email: 

Al Richardson

Director of Preneed

Email: 

Mandy Richardson

Preneed / Aftercare

Email: 

Brandon Elliott

Apprentice

Brandon and his wife Shea are residents of Gainesville, GA. He has been working with the McDonald family since April of 2019. 

Brandon graduated from Banks County High School in 2015 and from Gupton Jones College of Funeral Service in 2019. Brandon comes from a background of serving in Youth Ministry. He and his wife are members of Lakewood Baptist Church in Gainesville, GA. 

Telephone: 1-770-886-9899

Email: 

Lynx McDonald

Grief Therapy Dog

Lynx joined the McDonald Family in the summer of 2016. Many families have loved on him and appreciated his presence as our grief therapy dog. He commutes with either Claire or Lauren McDonald, III.

Keith Bowen

Funeral Associate

Homer Doster

Funeral Associate

Homer Doster and his wife, Dot, are longtime residents of Cumming and natives of 

Atlanta.  Homer served in the Navy during the Korean Conflict and retired from John Wagner Associates.  He and Dot have two sons.

Ridley McDonald

Student at The McCallie School

Claire and Lauren's second adult child is Ridley. He is a Senior at The McCallie School.  Ridley plays football and Lacrosse and has been accepted to The Citadel in Charleston, SC.

Telephone: 1-770-886-9899

Binx

Therapy Cat, maybe

Binx adopted our funeral home as her home in October of 2021. She has been a welcome addition for most and can be found trying to sneak in or out of the building at interesting times.

We have a special room to contain Binx when needed.

Bryon Wilson

Funeral Associate

Bryon joined our staff in February of 2022. He has lived in the Cumming area since 1994. Bryon enjoys serving families in the North Georgia area and has been a great addition to our team.

Bryon likes attending concerts with his wife, Sandra, and spends a lot of his time playing with and raising his four children, trying to give them their best lives possible.

He loves watching sports and loves music so much that he writes his own music and taught himself how to write a song. 

David Calabrese

Funeral Associate

David Calabrese joined our staff in October of 2021. David and his wife Heidi are raising their daughter in Forsyth County.

Hailey McDonald

Student at Lambert High School

Claire and Lauren's youngest is a student at Lambert High School on the Varsity Lacrosse team. 

Lauren "Wylie" McDonald, IV

Student at The Citadel

Claire and Lauren's firstborn is currently an undergraduate at The Citadel contracted with the Marines. His major is Mechanical Engineering.