Donald Wayne Ethridge was born Dec. 8, 1939, at home in Campbell, Texas, to Robert Samuel Ethridge and Mari Louise Wolfe Ethridge. He and his sister Bobbie Louise grew up in Campbell, with Don graduating from Campbell High School in 1958.
He had a stable childhood, often attending First Baptist Church with his grandmother Lena Ethridge. He enjoyed spending time with his two best friends, Jimmy and Ray Tarrant, getting up to the usual boyish mischief.
After graduation, Don began working at Kimbrough's Grocery Store in Greenville until 1965. He met his future wife Betty Ann Lemon on a blind date in October of 1964. They married on Christmas Eve that same year. Don nearly didn't survive until the wedding, sustaining a serious head injury in a car wreck that November which was believed to have contributed to the epilepsy he experienced later in life.
Don had a great love for cars, with he and Betty attending the races at Greenville Speedway, where Don worked the pit gates for several years. Betty stopped going after their son Ronald Wayne was born in 1967.
Don began his 31-year career at the Lance, Inc., facility in Greenville in 1965, then going to work for East Texas State University (now East Texas A&M) after Lance closed the Greenville plant in 1996. He retired after five years with the University but worked for a few more years part-time at Price Ford in Sulphur Springs.
The family resided in the Campbell area most of Don's life, attending First Baptist Church in Campbell since 1967. Don taught Sunday School and Royal Ambassadors, served as Training Union Director and was ordained as a Deacon. He was a faithful church member for over 30 years there, and then for the next nearly 20 years at Shady Grove Baptist Church in Greenville.
Don was also a member of the Campbell Lion's Club for a short time in the 70s and served as a volunteer with the Campbell Volunteer Fire Department during that time, as well.
In retirement he enjoyed gardening, working outdoors and entertaining his two grandsons. As he often told Betty, ''I love when they come, but it's so nice when they leave.''
Don was preceded in death by his parents and a young son John Mark.
He is survived by his wife Betty; sister Bobbie; son and daughter-in-law Ron and Melany Ethridge, grandchildren Nathan and Aaron Ethridge; great-grandchildren Gabriel Broadhead and Rowan Ethridge; and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces.
A beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Don will be remembered for his devotion to his family, his faithful service to his church, and the life he built in the Campbell community. His faith was a steady part of his life, reflected in decades of worship and service alongside fellow believers. Though he will be deeply missed by those who loved him, his family finds comfort in the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ and the promise that one day they will be reunited.
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