Obit of Barton, Donald G - Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Gene Phillips 02 Nov 2008 Return to Oklahoma County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/oklahoma/oklahoma.html ===================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ===================================================================== ::Warren Cemetery--Norman OK Havenbrook Funeral Home Obituary Donald G. Barton The family of Don Barton would like to mark the passing of this wonderful man and take a moment to celebrate his all-too-brief life. Visitation will be from 6-8 pm Wednesday at Havenbrook Funeral Home, 3401 Havenbrook Street, Norman, OK. The funeral will take place at 10 am, Thursday, November 3, 2005, at McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church, 419 S. University, Norman. Interment to follow at Warren Cemetery in Norman with full military honors. Services are under the direction of Havenbrook Funeral Home of Norman, Oklahoma. Don loved his wife, his children, and his family. He was an honorable man and a true friend; he loved God; wherever he went and with whomever he met, he brought with him and shared with them a kind word, a song, and a smile. He was a man of integrity and vision, quiet determination and firm resolve. Don was born on August 21, 1952, in Tulsa, OK, to Bob and Maurine Barton. His nurturing and loving family provided him a strong foundation and positive model for his life. Don grew up in Oklahoma City, attending John Marshall High School; some of the fondest recollections of his teen years came from his time spent with the Christian youth singing group, Opening Hours, where Don played drums and guitar and sang. Happy years were spent in Stillwater at Oklahoma State University. Some would remember a blue dorm room in Parker Hall and a roommate armed with a machete; Hush Puppy shoes paired with an AF ROTC uniform; canoe trips with the Girl Scout troop; weekend visits with his beloved Mamaw; good times with friends in the dorm cafeteria and at the Hideaway, at football games, and in ROTC; serenading some girl beneath her dorm window with his guitar. In 1972, Don met the love of his life, Linda Susan Remas, over a game of Risk; his persistence and his smile won her heart forever. Don graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1974 with a degree in accounting, a commission as an officer in the Air Force, and a promise from that girl that he had been chasing since 1972. Don left Stillwater for Reese AFB in Lubbock, TX, to begin the next phase of his life. A new career and a new marriage -- Don and Linda married in 1975 and always partners, they spent the next twenty years in the Air Force accumulating cherished friendships and memories as they traveled from Lubbock to Guam to Little Rock to Montgomery. New addresses brought new challenges, new friendships, and, yes, new family members. Jennifer and Kathleen gave Don even more reasons to smile, and they still do. After years of chasing typhoons, teaching, and flying, the Air Force sent Don and his family home to Oklahoma where Don began his years as a trusted advisor - first as a subject matter expert with McDonnell Douglas Training Systems in Norman and later as the Active Duty Air Advisor for the OKANG in Oklahoma City. In 1995, Don traded in his blue uniform for a business suit and a new set of challenges. Working at First Command Financial Planning was a natural fit for Don - he loved his clients and his colleagues, and he really loved helping people to look ahead and not only dream about their future, but to understand how to make their dreams a reality. He retired from that position in October 2004. Next to God, nothing was more important to Don than his family. He is survived by his wife, Linda; his oldest daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Mark Miller, of Odenton, MD; his youngest daughter, Kathleen, of Norman; his granddaughter, Renee Ann Miller; his father, Robert Barton, of Dallas; his older brother, Bob Barton, of Los Angeles, CA, and his younger sister, Beverly Rogers, of Dallas. Extended surviving family includes Don's uncle, Bill Barton, of Ruidoso, NM, and his nieces and nephews, Elizabeth Larsen, Daniel Barton, Lorena Barton, Robert Rogers, and John Rogers. He is preceded in death by his mother, Maurine Barton. Don was diagnosed in January of 2004 with a malignant and aggressive brain tumor. With characteristic resolve and determination, Don fought valiantly, giving everything he had to the fight. He died Sunday morning, October 30, 2005. In lieu of flowers, the family has set up two memorial funds in Don's name. To support the search for a cure for brain tumors, contact MD Anderson Cancer Center, PO Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486, or call 1-800-525-5841 and talk to Marty in Donations. Don's love of music was rekindled with his association with the Chancel Choir at McFarlin Methodist Church. A memorial gift can be made in Don's name to McFarlin Memorial UMC, PO Box 6390, Norman, OK 73070. Send condolences online at http://www.havenbrookfuneralhome.com/Obituaries.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Oklahoma County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/oklahoma/oklahoma.html