WILTON, CA (MPG) - Some people leave their mark on a community. In Wilton, we have an annual event, the Wilton Winter Festival and Parade, which presents us with the opportunity to recognize those among us who have shaped this area we know and love. This year, the Grand Marshal of the Wilton Parade will be our very own Corky Donnelly, who is best known for managing Sheldon Feed & Supply for around 40 years. His steadfast commitment to helping others has made a real difference in our community for generations. 

The beginning:

Corky Donnelly was born in 1950 and spent his early years in Oakdale, Calif. — the “Cowboy Capital of the World.”  He was one of six children and, at the age of 15, began working at Oakdale Feed and Seed, started by his father the year Corky was born. Over the years, the business consisted of multiple Northern California feed stores and in 1962 Sheldon  Feed was  added to the list. 

Donnelly worked afternoons and weekends at Oakdale Feed and Seed through high school, then attended Modesto Junior College. Upon graduation from MJC, Donnelly went to work full time for his father; the only one of the six children to take on the family business. When asked what made him want to be involved in the feed business, he answered frankly, “I love it.  It’s as simple as that.”

On Family:

Donnelly married his wife, Teena, in 1980 and in 1981 welcomed the first of their four children. In 1982, with a tiny daughter in tow, Corky and Teena came to Sheldon Feed to relieve the manager during a medical leave. When the manager did not return, Corky and Teena took over the operation with Teena and the baby in the office doing the books and Corky manning the store. Forty-something years later, Corky is still at the helm with Teena by his side. He says, “Teena has been my partner the whole time.” They are “partners for life.”

As the family grew, the hard work continued. The Donnellys worked a lot, raised the kids and were involved a variety of activities. There were years of soccer games and countless 4-H and FFA projects that kept them busy. At one point, their sheep project included 30 ewes. Donnelly recounted that every year, without fail, there would be lambs that needed bottle feeding. The kids would put diapers on the lambs and raised them in the house. Corky and Teena chuckled as they reminisced about lambs jumping into their laps and sleeping with the kids.  

Because they worked a lot, they didn’t take lavish vacations. The Donnellys enjoyed taking the family on camping trips into the mountains to hike and fish. They loved it when the kids got older and would bring their friends out to Wilton to enjoy the country life, having barbecues, fishing and enjoying campfires out back. The couple has always loved the outdoors and Mother Nature and still try to spend time outdoors hiking, camping, fishing and hunting whenever possible. As they reflected on the times raising their children, Corky remarked with Teena’s agreement, “We cherish those times.”

And the Donnellys love their family traditions. Every year since Corky got his hunting license in 1961, they have gathered for the opening day of dove season on Sept. 1. For decades, they have hosted the event at their home, welcoming the family including all the kids, their spouses and their six grandchildren.  

On Wilton:

Arriving in Wilton in the early ’80s was strange for the Donnellys. They said their hometown of Oakdale felt much farther away than it seems now. They were struck by the lack of trees in the area (In the ’80s, Wilton was mostly pastureland and poultry farming). 

“It really didn’t feel like an established community back then.” Their current neighborhood was a 100-acre field that produced corn in the summer and wheat in the winter. 

But as time passed, neighborhoods began to develop, with many trees being planted that changed the landscape. Now, the Donnellys enjoy their neighbors, who are also great friends. In addition to driving to the other houses in their golf carts to enjoy a meal together or to visit, they have many traditions. 

One of their favorites takes place during Christmastime, when they decorate their golf carts and take a fire pit to the end of the street. There, they light a fire and wait for the Wilton Firefighters to pass by with their fire truck adorned with holiday decorations, indulging them with a flash of lights and sirens at the fire in the fire pit.  

On Business:

Since the Donnellys’ arrival at Sheldon Feed in 1982, they have made lasting friendships across generations of Wilton residents. From the old timers who told of a Grant Line Road with almost no cars, to the children of children coming in for 4-H project advice, there have been many great friendships. And the clientele has evolved over the years, which required him to be flexible and change with the times. 

Several decades ago, the customers were primarily large, commercial dairies, feedlots and cattlemen; today it is mostly smaller ranchers. He has always been committed to changing with the community. Although he has passed the management of Sheldon Feed on to his son, Corky — at 74 years old — is still going to work every day and helping people (although now it is usually one of their other stores, Robinson’s Feed in Lodi).

Corky Donnelly is quite a storyteller and has no shortage of tales from his years at Sheldon Feed.  As he recounted stories from the past, he was on his feet demonstrating how to coax a newborn calf to accept a bottle. He and Teena recalled the phone ringing in the middle of the night with customers needing advice; and how Corky slept all night with a 4-H person’s sick pig because the County Fair was the next day; and how Corky would keep the store open well past the stated hours on Christmas Eve so customers could finish their last minute shopping — as Teena and the kids waited in the car to go to their own family Christmas dinner. 

Corky Donnelly says, “Honestly, I love helping people. It’s hard work, but people come into our stores with questions on how to raise animals, what to feed them and how to care for them. I just very much enjoy helping people live this lifestyle. Always have.”

When asked about the changes Donnelly has seen over the years, he described the economic down cycles they have experienced. He feels we are in one now and has been through the process three or four times since he started in business.

 He says, “It’s always tough for about a year or two, then it slowly gets better.  They come and go. It’ll get better.” 

In Donnelly’s opinion, the most rewarding aspect of his business has been the customers.  

He says, “So many of the friends we have made were customers first.” Corky and Teena both describe their patrons from the community as friendly, quality, wholesome people. When reflecting on his career, Corky states, “It’s been a great lifestyle. We’ve worked hard, we’ve made a good living doing what we love to do — living the rural lifestyle.” 

Favorite Memories:

When Donnelly was 16 or 17 years old, he became the community Santa Claus, dressing up in a costume purchased for him by the City of Oakdale. His dad would allow him a day or two off work to make his rounds. He visited the hospital first, starting around 5 p.m. to talk with the elderly people in their rooms and deliver a small gift. 

Then he visited individual homes; the owners invited some of their neighbors in advance and left a bag of presents outside in the bushes, arranging for Donnelly to have a list of their kids’ names and gifts they had requested from Santa. 

Donnelly’s routine was to throw pebbles on the roof to mimic reindeer hooves as he approached the house with a hearty, “Ho ho ho!” and called out to his reindeer. The children would come to the door, amazed that Santa was there in person, and Donnelly would go in to deliver the gifts to the children and sing a few Christmas carols. 

He attempted to limit each visit to 20 minutes and still didn’t finish until around 1 a.m. His services became so popular that there were waiting lists for Santa and people from neighboring towns were requesting visits. Donnelly was the anonymous Oakdale Santa for 15-plus years until his daughter was born. When he finally decided to retire, there was an article on the front page of the Oakdale Leader dedicated to the loss of the City of Oakdale’s beloved Santa Claus.

On the Future:

The Donnellys have seen a lot of changes within our community over the years. Corky isn’t crazy about the idea of developers building thousands of homes, but he is happy to have witnessed the growth and development of the Wilton community. He has seen positive changes to the landscape with neighborhoods popping up all around.

“We have a post office now, the Dillard Store has been remodeled and improved, and Dillard School has been remodeled and enlarged. We have a lot of stuff today we didn’t have 30 or 40 years ago,” he said.

For anyone looking to make a positive impact, he advises, “Get involved.” He is excited about our community events, the Wilton Winter Festival included, and would like to see more opportunities for the people of Wilton to get together.

Please join us at the Wilton Winter Festival and Parade on Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Wilton Community Center. The event will include vendors, free crafts for kids between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., a youth choir performance, the parade at noon, and free cookies and hot cocoa for the kids following the parade.