Donald Jeffreys

Donald Jeffreys, 81, passed away Sunday, February 28th, 2016. He was born March 15th, 1934 in Russellville, Alabama, the second child and eldest boy of 8 children. He came into this world as a blue baby, being slightly oxygen deprived due to the umbilical cord being around his neck. The doctors told his parents that he wasnt supposed to live very long. He would occasionally bring this up to them when it would advantage him. Don grew up hunting and fishing with his 2 dogs Rattler and T-bird. At 16, he started driving the local school bus. In high school he excelled at playing basketball. His teammates would frequently pass him the ball knowing he could make the shot. He was usually the top scorer in each game. In 1954, he joined the Army as a Food Service Specialist (he always said he was a cook) and was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. Don was transferred to Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington where he met Anna Jean Nearing. In 1958, he was honorably discharged from the Army and got a job working at Boeing. He married Anna on July 16th, 1960 and had 2 children, Scott in 63 and Denise in 64. He used to spend time camping, fishing, hunting, bowling, cooking, square dancing, and coaching little league baseball. He got laid off in the 70s and picked up a job working for a construction company, assisting in building the Herfys in Auburn. After being rehired by Boeing he worked several different jobs, retiring in 2000 as a Facilities Coordinator after almost 42 years. After retirement, he worked for 4 years at the nearby casino in security as a shuttle driver. He loved doing yard work, gardening, canning, and sitting on the back porch with the family dog. One-by-one and over the course of many years, he and Anna raised a lot of canine companions. On January 9th of this year he had a ground level fall at home sustaining a brain injury and never really recovered. Don leaves behind his loving wife of 55 years, Anna of Auburn, WA; children Scott (Lori) Jeffreys of Federal Way, WA, and Denise (Jimmy Stanley) Jeffreys of Bandera, TX; His sister Betty (Onnis) Terry of Trinity, AL; (4) grand-children: Tyler Jeffreys, Jordan (Chelsea) OBrien, Evan OBrien and Jennifer Jeffreys; and (1) great-grandchild: Cambria OBrien. He follows in passing: his parents: John and Letha Jeffreys; siblings: Greta (Garen), Danny, Billy, Margie (Parker), Joan and Sarah. He will be missed beyond words.