Donald Lee Wharton's Obituary
Don was born on July 5, 1934 in Pawnee, Oklahoma. He passed from this earth on January 19, 2016.
After joining the Army in 1956, Don was sent to Ft Lewis. After finishing radioman training, he was offered the chance to train as a military policeman. At first he hated Washington because of all the rain, but he came to love it being up in “God’s Country”. He had good memories of hunting trips with his sons and family camping trips. He even got to fulfill a lifetime dream of a caribou hunting trip to Alaska with his son.
Don worked for many years in the automotive industry. He worked at Republic Automotive Warehouse from 1965 to 1986, first as a warehouse foreman and went out on the road as salesman for them in 1979. He left there and went to work as a salesman for Auto Parts Warehouse for six years until his retirement in 1996. He said he wanted to retire so he could stop and smell the roses.
His retirement gave him the opportunity to do more fishing. He even took on the project of remodeling a boat so that he would have more room to take his fishing partners out with him, including several of his grandchildren. He lost two of his fishing buddies in the last two years but was looking forward to going out with his grandchildren and his friend, Fred, this summer. He also picked up a long ago hobby of repairing fishing rods and turned it into a business of building custom fishing rods. He did exceptional work and never had an unsatisfied customer. He also made rods for his friends and many family members. And he happily taught his grandson, Christopher, how to build a rod. He was known to take rods he had refurbished down to the Spanaway Lake boathouse for Bud to “find a kid who needs a fishing rod”. He put smiles on quite a few small faces.
But the most important thing to him was his family. He was the patriarch of a very large family, including 7 children, 14 grandchildren, and as of this year, 13 great-grand children. He was a great story teller and enjoyed sharing his stories with his children and grandchildren. He had a great sense of humor and entertained many of us with his “Okie sayings”. He was also a very straight forward speaking person, and wasn’t afraid to say what was on his mind.
Don was predeceased by his parents, Frances and Bertha, his sister, Delora, and his wife, Millie. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, whom he married in 1979 after Millie’s death in 1977. He is also survived by his sons, David and Terry Wharton, daughters Arlene Wharton, Linda Armijo and Linette Bacon, and stepsons Bill and David Schlanbusch. He will also be greatly missed by his grandchildren and great-grand children.
Don’s passing was sudden but his hospital room was filled past capacity by over 20 family members. Each was given the opportunity to spend a few moments to say goodbye to him and to tell him they loved him. And though he couldn’t acknowledge it, we were sure he knew we were there and he was surrounded by love. His grandson, Christopher, called Bubba by his Grandpa, led all of us in a prayer. His passing was peaceful and he left this life to a chorus of “I love you Dad” and “I love you Grandpa”.
Don did not want a funeral but instead asked his family to “get together and have a party and celebrate my life”. He also wished to be cremated and have his ashes interred at Tahoma National Cemetery and some ashes scattered at one of his favorite spots in God’s Country by his son and grandsons.
His daughter Linda shared a quote she liked, saying “If our love could have kept him alive, he would have lived forever”. But he will live forever in our hearts. Rest in peace, my love, and look after us from heaven.
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