Donald Davis Brindle
Donald Davis Brindle, Marshfield, MO, was born on September 6, 1948, in Houston, TX, to Dale Edward and Myrtle Esther (Hogge) Brindle. He departed this life suddenly on May 26, 2022, at Mercy Hospital, Springfield, MO, at the age of 73-years-old.
Don grew up in Houston, TX, with his parents and older brother, Eugene. He excelled in the Boy Scouts, earning Eagle Scout rank in his teens. After graduation from high school, Don joined the Merchant Marines in Galveston, TX. Four years later, Don joined the U.S. Navy in February 1970 during the Vietnam War. He obtained his scuba diving license in July 1970 which would be useful while Don was stationed in Kaneohe, HI. He worked with dolphins in training for bomb detection and search and rescue missions.
After completing his service in the Navy, Don returned to Houston, TX, and worked in both commercial air conditioning and construction. He then opened his own metal fabrication shop in Houston, TX; Southern Wellhead Machine Shop. His precision metal work was used both in the oil fields and in the Space Shuttle program. He then went back to school to hone his skills in auto mechanics.
On February 14, 1997, Don was united in marriage to Sharon Louise Miller in Palestine, TX. They met while both working for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in a state prison. He was a corrections officer, and then supervisor for the inmate metal fabrication shop, and she was a prison nurse. After leaving prison work, he helped Sharon in her nurse practitioner practice serving five nursing homes. They retired to Lake Jacksonville, TX, to live in a house that Don and his father had built together. They made the decision to move to Marshfield, MO, in 2010 to be closer to their remaining family.
Don’s many varied interests included water sports, motorcycling, gardening, politics, woodworking, metal fabrication, vintage vehicles, barbecuing, being with family, and when he moved to MO, snow shoveling.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Dale and Esther Brindle, his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Lt. Col Robert and Mrs. Helen Miller, and his sister-in-law, Suzanne Miller Trickey.
Don is survived by his wife, Sharon, of the home; brother, Gene (Cecil Keith), Denver, CO; stepson, Andy Collie, TX; granddaughter, Katie Mahurin (Zackery), Tom, OK; his great grandson, Elijah Mahurin; his brother-in-law, Jim Trickey, Marshfield, MO; and many beloved extended family members.
A Memorial will be held for friends and family at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 9, 2022, at the Marshfield Assembly of God Church. The family would like to thank Fraker Funeral Home for their amazing care and help in making all necessary arrangements.
The family suggests memorial contributions may be made to Samaritan’s Purse at www.samaritanspurse.org or at Samaritan’s Purse, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC, 28607.