July 7, 1946 - July 27, 2022
Donald Lawton James was born July 7, 1946 to Jessie Lawton “Bud” and Hazel Juanita “Nita” (Haskins) James in Chickasha, OK and died in Enid, OK July 27, 2022 at the age of 76. At Donald’s request, he was immediately laid to rest in Enid Cemetery. Family and friends gathered for a private service August 2, 2022, with services conducted by Pastor Wesley Gann. Pastor Gann served in the Army with Donald in the Panama Canal Zone.
Donald attended Enid schools. On December 30, 1964, he married Sheryl Kay Oakley in Wellington, KS. They were happily married fifty-seven years. After leaving high school in July 1964, Donald enlisted in the US Army. He received his basic training at Ft. Leonard, MO, then served seven years with tours of duty at Brooke Army Medical Center (Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX) for medical training; Republic of South Korea, with the 1st and 7th Cavalry/2nd and 9th Infantry; Ft. Meyer, VA Old Guard, 3rd Infantry; Interoceanic Canal Study Commission in the Panama Canal Zone; 601st Medical Company, Ft. Clayton, Panama Canal Zone, as platoon sergeant; Ft. Carson, CO as medical platoon sergeant and 101st Airborne, assigned to the 1st/321st Artillery Group as combat medic platoon sergeant in Vietnam.
Following his military duty, Donald worked for Zaloudek Grain in Kremlin, OK, Halliburton Services of Enid and Dolese Brothers Concrete as truck driver and loader operator until his retirement.
Donald coached the Enid D.J.’s girls’ softball team for several years and was inducted into the Oklahoma Softball Hall of Fame. After those softball days were over, he often commented on how much he loved all those girls and stated those were some of the best days of his life. He went on to own and operate Paw Paw’s Treasures and Woodcrafts as well as Poppers Popcorn Shop in Enid.
Having been baptized at an early age, Donald was a member of First Baptist Church. He was an honest man who loved working to earn an honest dollar. He was a kind man who helped several people in this life but was never one to tell others about it. He never met a stranger and it comes as no surprise that he was a softie when it came to loving his family and pets.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Bobby James; paternal grandparents, Lafayette Jefferson and Mary Ellen “Molly” (Richardson) James; and maternal grandparents, Glen Lee and Nettie Mae (Quick) Haskins.
Donald is survived by wife, Sheryl; daughter, Glenda Lee (Long-James) Cuaderes (Charles); granddaughters, Katie Elizabeth Lentz-Powell (Jess), Norman, OK; Kirbie Victoria Sabatini (Caleb), McKinney, TX; great-granddaughters, Oliva Grace Lentz and Rory Lynn Powell; great-grandson, Conrad Alan Sabatini; sister, Pamela Mae Gibbons, Grove, OK; brother, Buddy Lynn James (Pam), Chickasha, OK; aunt, Patricia Norman, Seguin, TX; several cousins, nieces, nephews and his special “kids”, Kimberly, Diego, Isaac and Adrianna Trinidad.
Don was a wonderful husband, Poppy to his daughter and Grampa to his grandchildren. He will be terribly missed.
Obituaries are posted, in part, due to the generosity of The Commons.
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