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Chilton, Donald Loran (1938-2012)
Chilton, Donald Loran
Obituary
2012
Donald Loran Chilton, 73, died January 12, 2012 at home in Sealy after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born July 9, 1938 in McAlester, Oklahoma to Raymond Lee and Vivian Chilton. While he was a small child, his family relocated and he was raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. Donald had a memorable childhood growing up during WWII. He had memories of joining his friends in collecting tin cans, bacon drippings, tin foil, and newspapers to help out with the war effort. When he was a little older, he enjoyed sailing, playing football, and running track. After graduating from Ray High School in 1956, he attended Del Mar College where he was the President of his class. After Del Mar, he attended Southwest Texas State and graduated in 1961 with a BS of Business Administration. Donald then joined the Air Force and went on active duty at Lackland AFB and Kelly AFB in San Antonio.
After his service in the Air Force, he moved to Houston where he met Linda Adair. They were married in 1966. Donald enjoyed a long career in industrial paint sales which he enjoyed immensely. He loved to travel in his company car to call on customers, and quickly got a reputation for being dependable and trustworthy. In 1982, Donald moved his family to Sealy, Texas, thinking chiefly of the education of his children, Charley, Joe, and Susie. In 1992, he began a long career with Stewart & Stevenson, Services, Inc. in Sealy, as an engineer. He held many different titles over 19 years, but always loved working on the production of armored vehicles for the U.S. military. He was proud to work there, and loved to talk about his work to anyone who was interested. He just retired from the company, now owned by BAE, in June 2011. Donald always put his family above all else. He was an attentive father, spending time attending activities and hunting with his sons when they were young, and he never missed a performance by his daughter. In his later years, he enjoyed hunting trips with his son, Charley, and attending Texas A&M football games with his daughter, Susie, along with Linda. Lately, he was content to spend time with his two young grandchildren, Evan and Keeli. He was a voracious reader - he read at least one newspaper every day, and enjoyed reading anything about military history, as well as a good novel. He also enjoyed visiting friends, and faithfully visited several friends who became ill or homebound. Donald is survived by his wife, Linda Chilton; son, Charley Chilton (Natalie Chilton); daughter, Susie Waits (Chris Waits); brother, Raymond Lee Chilton, Jr. (Ray Chilton); sister, Guida Drew (Jeff Drew); brother, Dana Chilton (Candace Chilton); grandson, Evan Waits; and granddaughter, Keeli Chilton. He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Vivian Chilton, and his son, Joe Chilton. Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 14, 2012, at 11:00 AM Knesek Bros. Hwy 36 Chapel, 1140 Meyer St., with Rev. Lani Rousseau officiating. Interment in the Sealy Cemetery. Visitation 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM Friday, January 13, 2012, at Knesek Bros. Hwy 36 Chapel. Memorials may be made to Hospice Brazos Valley, 302 East Blue Bell Road, Brenham, Texas 77833. |
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Chilton
Donald Loran
20127
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