ELIZABETHTOWN
Donald B. Spaulding, 83, of Elizabethtown died peacefully at home on Monday, February 22, 2021.
Born on July 8, 1937, in Jennings County, Don was the son of Garrie and Pauline Boner Spaulding. He married Patricia Stanfield on January 24, 1960 at the Hayden Baptist Church.
Mr. Spaulding was a 1955 graduate of Hayden High School and retired from Cummins Engine Company in Columbus, where he worked for 40 years before retiring in 1994. He was a charter member of Hayden Baptist Church where he led worship for over 30 years.
Following the death of Don’s father when he was 16 and after finishing high school, he went to work to support his mother. Don was in the Air Force Reserve for 8 years and was called to active duty during the Bay of Pigs invasion.
Don had a unique way of touching the lives of everyone he met. He was heavily involved in the operation of the Geneva Recreation Center and the Scipio Little League, influencing the lives of countless young men whom he coached on little league teams. He continued his support of the program by umpiring for many more years after he stopped coaching. Following his retirement from Cummins, he worked at Greenbelt Golf Course in Columbus and managed their senior golf league, even learning to use a computer so that he could track league standings and print scorecards! Don enjoyed golfing, bowling, mowing the yard, Indiana University Basketball, listening to music and spending time with his family.
Friends of his children and grandchildren remember Don as having a big smile and huge laugh. He was a great example of what a dad should be and thought of himself as Dad/Grandpa to everyone. He had an endless supply of love and compassion for all, and he leaves a footprint on the lives of those he met.
Don is survived by his wife Patty, his children Daryl (Tami) Spaulding of Grand Blanc MI, Susan Spaulding of Greenwood, and Mike (Joanna) Spaulding of West Chester OH; his brother Giles (Faye) Spaulding of Seymour; his grandchildren Eric (Alisha) Spaulding of Saginaw MI, Craig Spaulding of Louisville, Kristen and Patrick Spaulding of Greenwood, Bailey, Shelby, and Caitlyn Spaulding of West Chester OH; and great-grandchildren Adeline and Isaac Spaulding of Saginaw, MI.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sisters Gertrude Berryman, Louella Mae Brown, and Helen Ritchie.
A memorial service for Don will be conducted at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 27, 2021, at the Hayden Baptist Church in Hayden with the Rev. Mark Sorrells officiating. Visitation with family will be held after the memorial until 7:00 p.m. Arrangements were entrusted to the care of Dove-Sharp & Rudicel Funeral Home and Cremation Service in North Vernon.
Memorials may be made to the Hayden Baptist Church or Our Hospice of South-Central Indiana.
