Obituaries

Michael Scott Donnelly was born July 3, 1961, in Plainsfield, New Jersey. He passed on April 7, 2026 surrounded by his family. He battled colorectal cancer for 3 1⁄2 years, but he did not let that define him. He met his final days with courage, faith and grace.

He enjoyed playing the drums, manicuring his lawn, tinkering in the garage, hanging out with friends, traveling, and listening to live music any chance he could. He was a very strong-willed extrovert who never met a stranger. A great host that would spend countless hours on the invites and the perfect playlist. He always wanted to have a good time, and very little would keep him from it, including cancer.

Michael graduated from Duncanville High School in 1979. After high school, he attended the University of Texas at Arlington earning a bachelor’s degree in Accounting with a major in Finance. He served as an international management consultant for 10 years. A Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Master Black Belt/Organizational Transformation Leader with over 20 years of experience in driving value, quality, and process improvements for commercial and military operations. He was an accomplished speaker and co-author of Building High Performance Government Through Lean Six Sigma published by McGraw Hill. Michael was also the proud owner of MaxReturn Consulting Group, LLC.

He is preceded in death by his mother Lorraine Bacot and his uncle Joseph Kluepfel. He is survived by his children Stephanie (Jeremy), Nick and Preston; his grandchildren Bee and Harry; his brother Robert (Sissy); nephew Travis and his girlfriend Barb. Per Michael’s wishes, cremation has taken place and a private celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cancer Research Institute (CRI).