All of his life Jay McDaniel talked about one day going to his Heavenly Father's house. On June 18 around 6:30 a.m. he finally got to go. Jay was born in Park City, KY on May 28, 1947.He was the fifth child of six.He loved telling stories of wisdom, dominating sports and exploring Mammoth Cave. Jay was a phenomenal high school athlete and was on the Kentucky All-State Basketball Team his sophomore, junior, and senior years and averaged 42 points a game his senior year. Also, he was an All-District pitcher in baseball, won several events at the All-State Track Meet and on the All-State Football team. In 1966 Abe Lemmons sent him to Kilgore, Texas to play his freshman year at Kilgore College where he was a 2nd Team All-American. It was that year he met Johnette Burrow and because of that, chose to stay at Kilgore College to play his sophomore year. In 1968 he left Kilgore College to finish his collegiate career at Oklahoma City University. In 1969 Johnette and Jay married. They celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 2019.

Jay was a kid at heart. He lived to play golf and go fishing. He taught Sunday school for many years to the youth at Forest Home Baptist Church. He loved coaching his two boys in Dixie Youth Baseball and was the creator and founder of Kilgore Youth Basketball in 1982. He loved creating memorable moments for everyone involved in his life. His stories and wisdom impacted everyone who came in contact with him. Jay loved his family and lived a sacrificial life for them. He was a great father to his sons and a leader to many kids. It's been very honoring to receive all the texts and calls from people whose lives he touched in major ways.

Jay was preceded in death by his father, Martie McDaniel and mother, Dorothy McDaniel, and his sister, Linda Crain. Jay is survived by his loving wife Johnette Burrow McDaniel; his sons, Joe and Jonathan; grandchildren, Chris (Kailyn) and Jassie; brother, Vernon McDaniel (Jan), and sisters, Barbara Sturtzel, Carolyn Coulter (Jimmy), June Cole, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A Memorial Celebration of Jay's life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, at First Presbyterian Church in Kilgore.