Hattiesburg, MS
Funeral Home
Moore Funeral Home
Visitation
Service
Obituary
In Military Service Tribute, Honors, and Obituary:
Recognizing and Honoring a Fallen Hero, Who Served Within the Mississippi National Guard. “Fallen, Yet Not Forgotten”.
In recognition of our proud American tradition of honorable service which our military men and women have given to their country and our State, we honor a Fallen Hero. Our nation, our state, and the National Guard Association of MS (NGAMS) regard the memorializing of its retired military deceased as an honorable and sacred obligation.
Another great Soldier and Fallen Hero has been released from duty, passed from our ranks on May 12, 2026, and has moved on to his heavenly home. Retired Sergeant First Class Donald C. Castle, age 58, Hattiesburg, MS, who served in the 106th Brigade Support Battalion and the 184th ESC, has departed and gone to a better place with our Lord and Savior. Castle had worked fulltime at the Shelby MATES.
It takes a special person to serve within the military for their country, giving up their family time, comfort, and safety for their country, ultimately for all Americans to enjoy their freedoms, safety, and way of life. We now applaud you for your service to our country. A special message from General Douglas McArthur remains applicable today for our servicemen that have passed: “Old Soldiers never die; they just fade away”.
Rest in Peace Soldier. We applaud your patriotism, sacrifices, and brave efforts in serving our country and your family for their support of your service. We thank you for your service. Without your efforts and your families’ support, our country would not stand so boldly, shine so bright, and live so free.
You now have earned a rest, so go fly with the Angels, go rest high on that mountain; your work on earth is done. Go to heaven a-shoutin’ Love for the Father and the Son.
Another great Soldier has gone home, “Fallen, Yet Not Forgotten, Soldier for Life”.
Obituary, visitation and service details:
Donald “Donnie” Clark Castle, Jr., of the Dixie Community, Hattiesburg, Mississippi passed away surrounded by the love of his family and friends on May 15, 2026. Born on February 29, 1968, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Donnie always joked that being a Leap Year baby made him extra special. Anyone who knew him would agree that he truly was.
A 1986 graduate of Forrest County Agricultural High School, Donnie was a man deeply rooted in the land and community he loved. He lived and worked on his home place in Dixie his entire life, where he found joy in the simple and meaningful things: his family, friends, raising cattle, cutting hay, mending fences, and spending time outdoors. In his younger years, he enjoyed riding horses, team roping and showing livestock. He continued to embrace the cowboy way of life wholeheartedly. Donnie was, through and through, an old cowboy soul.
Donnie faithfully served both his country and his community. He worked as a federal technician at MATES Camp Shelby and proudly served 37 years in the Mississippi Army National Guard, retiring with the rank of Sergeant First Class. He believed in hard work, loyalty, and showing up when people needed him.
People always knew they could count on Donnie. Whether he was helping cut a neighbor’s hay field, tending livestock, lending a hand without being asked, or simply pulling in the driveway to check on someone, Donnie lived his life serving others in quiet, meaningful ways. His generosity was not for attention; it was simply who he was.
To know Donnie was to know laughter. He had a contagious laugh, a larger-than-life personality, and a way of making everyone feel like an old friend. Once you met him, you never forgot him. And once Donnie called you a friend, you stayed one, even if the two of you occasionally disagreed. He loved deeply and lived life with a heart as vast as the Dixie sunset.
Countless evenings were spent at “The Barn”, the well-known gathering place on his property where friends and family would gather around tailgates, share stories, solve the world’s problems, and enjoy a cold beverage. Those moments of fellowship, laughter, hard work, and friendship became some of the most cherished memories for so many who loved him.
Donnie loved his family. Donnie is proceeded in death by his father, Donald “Don” Clark Castle, Sr. He leaves behind his beloved children, Donald “Clark” Castle, III, and Camryn Castle Morel (Cameron), who were the pride of his life. He is also survived by his mother, Russlyn Castle; his siblings Patrick Finnegan, Donna Lynn Castle (Jennifer Pyn), and Kimberly Castle Dearman (Craig); his nieces and nephews Josh Finnegan, Carla Keeton (Chase), Christi Overstreet (Josh), Trey Finnegan (Ariel), Matthew Mordica (Amanda), Jaclyn Mordica, Jacey Luckie, and Milly Luckie; eight great nieces and nephews; along with countless extended family members and lifelong friends who became family over the years.
As a young boy, Donnie was raised at Dixie Baptist Church, where he came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. In recent years, he attended Venture Church.
Visitation will be held at Dixie Baptist Church Thursday, May 21, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. until service at 1:30 p.m. followed by a graveside service at Dixie Baptist Church Cemetery, where Donnie will be laid to rest beside his beloved father, Don.
If Donnie would leave us with one final piece of advice, he would probably tell you to: “Cowboy up!”
And knowing Donnie, he would not want tears without laughter, nor sadness without stories. The greatest way to honor him is to gather with the people you love, help your neighbor when they need it, laugh loudly, forgive quickly, and never pass up the chance to sit around a tailgate with good friends.
Because that was Donnie.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to “The Donnie Castle Scholarship Fund” at Huntington Bank (formerly Cadence), established to award scholarships to future F.C.A.H.S. graduates. Donations can be dropped off at Huntington Bank or mailed to his children at 1454 Elks Lake Rd, Hattiesburg, MS 39401.