|
| |
Donald Richard Lunsford Sr., formerly of Bartlesville, passed on to a new journey on Saturday, April 23 in Tulsa, OK at the age of 80.
How do you condense the life of a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, sibling and friend into a few short paragraphs? As a family, we have declared it an impossible task. Born February 20, 1936 in Hominy, Oklahoma, to Inmon and Martha Henton Lunsford, Don attended school in Bartlesville and was graduated in 1954 from College High School. During high school, he was a member of 'The Gimps', and enjoyed getting together with the other members at the high school reunions.
Don loved his wife Elizabeth Gail Allen for over 61 years (married December 16, 1954). Don and Gail are the proud parents of Donald Richard Jr. and Martha Louise, both of whom adored their father. Don and Gail made their home in Bartlesville for many years where he was employed as a tinsmith and worked as a heating and air conditioning contractor. Don and Gail owned a heat and air business before retiring to sail the Caribbean in the 1980s on their 28' Spirit sailboat. Don was an avid golfer, storyteller, writer, and published author. He loved reading and researching, and just completed his second novel that will be published later this year. His passing leaves a hole in our hearts that will only be mended when we see him again.
Some of Don's favorite euphemisms included, "Quit taking pictures, you are wasting the film", "Whatever blows your skirt up", and "Always keep yourself perpendicular".
Don was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters.
He is survived by his wife Gail; his son Rick Lunsford and wife Mary Jane of Cedar Creek, TX; one daughter Martha Rongey and her husband Tony of Jenks; grandsons Donald Richard Lunsford III (Richie) and wife Melanie of, Hurst, TX, and Kris Lunsford of Dallas, TX; granddaughters Laura Salas and husband Juan, and Holly Akbar and husband Awais, all of Tulsa, OK; five great grandchildren, Eleanor, Lucy, Alice and Henry Lunsford and Nyle Akbar; three sisters, Helen White and her husband Brac of Smyrna, TN; Christine Huffman and her husband Danny of Montgomery, TX; Pearlene Lunsford of Hurst, Il and one brother, Darrell and his wife Barbara of Bartlesville; one aunt, numerous cousins, several nieces and nephews.
No services will be held.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The American Heart Association .
Published in Examiner-Enterprise from Apr. 27 to May 26, 2016
This site may be freely linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent.
All rights reserved! Commercial use of material within this site is prohibited!
© 2000-2024 Oklahoma CemeteriesThe information on this site is provided free for the purpose of researching your genealogy. This material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, for your own research, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The information contained in this site may not be copied to any other site without written "snail-mail" permission. If you wish to have a copy of a donor's material, you must have their permission. All information found on these pages is under copyright of Oklahoma Cemeteries. This is to protect any and all information donated. The original submitter or source of the information will retain their copyright. Unless otherwise stated, any donated material is given to Oklahoma Cemeteries to make it available online. This material will always be available at no cost, it will always remain free to the researcher.