by Brynna Williamson
1982 … That’s how long the Lake Fork Marina & Motel has been open to serve neighbors and friends – or strangers who are soon to become friends.
See, it was in 1982 that a man named Keith Blair decided to move on from his farming business in the New Mexico/Texas Panhandle area. Rather than continue with his farming/ranching – which wasn’t working well at the time, says his daughter Dana Donahue – Blair decided to up and move his family to the beautiful Piney Woods of East Texas to start a marina and motel. The “catch?” … In 1982, Lake Fork didn’t exist yet. They were still filling it up at the time, says Dana; Blair built the marina to support himself and his family on the promise that the lake would soon be complete.
“He had a vision,” says Dana with confidence. “I figured, if my Dad was doing it, it was gonna work.”
Luckily – or, as the Donahues might put it, “with God’s blessing–” Dana and her dad were right, and Lake Fork was complete as of 1985. The lake never looked back in terms of producing some of the state and the country’s largest bass fish. In fact, ever since the first day they opened, this cool fishing hotspot/motel/campground/lodge/general store (etc. …the Donahues have a lot going on) just continues to get bigger and better.
In just a few years, Blair and his wife Darla added RV sites, tent camping, more motel rooms, a lodge, and more. In fact, every few years, says Dana, they added some new “big project.”
However, all good things must come to an end (sort of … keep your seatbelts buckled here), and in 2007, Keith Blair retired. What to do now with the marina and motel, where he and his family still lived just several hundred feet away?
That’s when Dana got a call.
Under New Management…
“My folks got ready to retire, and they offered us to come take it over and run it for them,” said Dana. “My husband was a county judge in Ochiltree County, and I was the Chamber of Commerce Executive.”
After praying about the offer, Dana and her husband Ken decided to accept it. So, they retired from both of their positions at once, picked up, and moved everything to Lake Fork.
Although their move from the panhandle was a “big departure from what they (especially Ken) had been doing,” the Donahues’ move to the Lake Fork Marina & Motel is something that they’ve settled into so happily that you’d never know it’s not what they’ve always done.
In fact, as they say, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” and within several years of owning the marina, Ken and Dana started keeping up her parents’ tradition of doing a big addition, improvement, or renovation project every few years.
Their newest and biggest project, however, came with the 2022-23 renovation of the old Gunter community church.
Although little information is available about the now-dead community of Gunter – which was one of those small, unincorporated towns that just die out over time, you know the kind I mean – there were a few lingering reminders of the place. The last man standing, so to speak, of this Lake Fork Marina & Motel-adjacent town was the town church. When the last few congregants left and officially closed the church in 2019 merging into other local churches, the building then, unfortunately, sat abandoned for “three or four years… maybe even five.”
That’s when God stirred the hearts of the Donahues, both of whom are Christians, to look into buying it.
“They had it for sale, and we thought, ‘Oh, we really don’t want to take on any more,’” said Dana. “But then… they had people looking at it to put in, like, a permanent garage sale place, (or) a bingo parlor, (etc.).”
“We didn’t want that,” said Ken.
To save the church from being something the Donahues perceived as dishonoring, to keep their property quality for their many beloved customers, and to preserve what little history was left of Gunter, the Donahues bought the old church and committed to honor it by renovating it.
Within just a few months, the couple had turned it into a beautiful, beautiful venue and lodge, and called it the “Gunter Oaks Lodge and Venue” in honor of the lost community.
“We had an open house and invited the older people that used to be members of that church, and they were just tickled to death,” said Ken with a smile.
The Whole Hodgepodge
The initial turn into the Lake Fork Marina & Motel might look like just a turn off a busy country road, but when you actually get into it, your jaw will drop (mine did) at how much is actually in there.
As far as their sleeping arrangements, you couldn’t ask for a better fishing hidey-hole than the Lake Fork Marina & Motel. You stay there, and you’re going to sleep well. They’ve got 36 motel rooms, 120 sites for RV hookups, a two-bedroom cabin, a three-bedroom cabin, a four-bedroom lodge, a 2-bed-2-bath-per-side duplex, and the entire Gunter Oaks Lodge and Venue to rent. Or, if you’re more of a rough-it type fisherman, they’ve also got tent camping literally right next to the lake. It all looks pretty sweet and is certain to please even the most particular guests.
You think that’s good; but when it comes to their fishing, it all gets even better, because they didn’t skimp on that, either. The Donahues’ property has a fully stocked tackle store with bait and tackle, clothes, gifts, accessories and more, two boat ramps, covered boat slips with electricity and lights, a pavilion for tournaments, etc., and a “floating fish cleaning station.”
They’ve even got a little free library, a 24/7 shower house, a laundromat, an available gas pump, a restaurant, and weekly church services for residents out on the lake. Doesn’t that sound great?? In fact, can you say, “Reel-y nice?”
What’s impressive about the whole Lake Fork Marina & Motel, though, is that it all feels very spacious. Even with everything they’ve got going on, nothing feels cramped or too small; in fact, to be honest, it’s just the opposite. It feels like a vacation, it feels like a getaway. It’s the kind of place that you come visit, kick off your shoes, pick up a glass of lemonade, and let the breeze ruffle through your hair as you sit and stare at the vast expanse of Lake Fork.
Today
Among all of the things that the Donahues like about what they do, the couple’s favorite is the people.
“Sometimes they’re just interesting people,” said Dana. “And then sometimes there are people that you get attached to, that you see –”
“They work into friends, that you see every year,” finished Ken. “You look forward to them coming back.”
“The main thing is, just be in the people business, and the rest of it falls into place,” said Dana.
From seeing it open with her dad in 1986, to letting it support multiple generations – both of multi-generational customers as well as 5 consecutive generations of Dana’s own family – to owning it themselves nearly 20 years ago, Dana and Ken have been through a lot with the Lake Fork Marina & Motel.
“Time goes by so fast,” she said. “The days are long, but the years are short; kind of like raising kids!”
Despite how fast the family business has felt, however, the Donahues – with God’s help – have not wasted one moment, and are proud to own all that is the Lake Fork Marina & Motel today.
Whether you’re dedicated to fishing, you love the area, need a superb event venue, or you just plain and simple need a break, I would recommend looking up the Lake Fork Marina & Motel. It’s just so relaxing!
