Donald Lee Doolin

Donald Lee Doolin of Lamar, Mo., passed away on Wednesday, March 26, 2014, at his home in Lamar, after struggling with a long illness of mesothelioma. Donald was the son of Frank Emmitt Doolin and Beatrice Mae (Renollet) Doolin and was born April 25, 1933, in Nickerson, Kan. He was married to Darlene Holland of Sheldon, Mo., on March 21, 1953, at the Sheldon Baptist Church in Sheldon.

Donald shared his home with one brother and three sisters and came to live in Sheldon, Mo., in 1936 when his parents and family moved from Kansas to Missouri during the days of the Great Dust Bowl He attended grade school at the Avolla Country School, Avolla, Mo., from first through seventh grade and went on to attend school at Sheldon High School, graduating in the class of 1951 as class president.

Donald enlisted in the United States Navy during his senior year of high school on June 19, 1951, and served until he was honorably discharged on June 15, 1955. He was a 2nd Class Petty Officer serving on the U.S.S. Sandoval sailing to Hawaii, Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Formosa, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and Long Beach Island in the United States. Donald proudly served during the Korean Conflict and greatly valued his shipmates and all military personnel who have and continue to serve the United States in times of peace and war.

After returning from his service in the Navy, Donald began work for the Phillips Petroleum Company while working on a research petroleum project in Bellamy, Mo., and then was transferred to Grant, N.M., where he worked in the mining of uranium. Following his work years with Phillips, he returned to Sheldon and began work with the Lawn Boy Company in Lamar, Mo., and then began his life career of working in the maintenance department of the Nevada State Hospital, Nevada, where he worked until his retirement on Sept. 1, 1993, after a career of 29 years. He was a plumber by trade and ended his work career as maintenance engineer managing the maintenance staff of the Nevada facility.

Donald also worked for himself and Beeny Brothers Hardware of Sheldon as a residential plumber and Sheet Metal Worker. Following his retirement, he moved to Stockton Lake where he invested in his life pursuit of crappie and catfishing with multiple family and friends while continually working on some kind of construction project either for friends, family, or himself.

Donald found great joy in serving his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and was a great encourager to all his family to walk in faith with Christ. He helped build two churches through volunteer mission trips through the work of Southern Baptists in Tennessee and Iowa. Donald was a member of the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Lamar. Donald lived with a passion, not only for Christ, but passionately loved and encouraged his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Survivors include his wife, Darlene, of the home; two daughters, Diana Leininger and Greg, Nevada, and Debbie Anne Hudson and Mike, Milo; one son, Daniel Dudley Doolin and Lori, Wapello, Iowa; nine grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by is parents; one infant brother, Lawrence Doolin; one brother, Wayne Doolin; three sisters, Helen Cavanaugh, Ethel Butterfield, and Margaret Harrison; two foster brothers, Paul Wykert and Louis Wykert; and one infant great-grandson, Blake Hart.

Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 30, at Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada, with Dr. Jack Slade and the Rev. Dan Doolin officiating. The family will receive friends from 2 to 3 p.m., Sunday, prior to the service at the funeral home. A private committal service will be held on Monday, March 31, at National Cemetery, Fort Scott, Kan.

Contributions may be made in his memory to the Wounded Warrior Project Fund in care of Ferry Funeral Home, Nevada.

View obituary and send condolences online at www.ferryfuneralhome.com.