Donald Carroll Choate

A Funeral Service to celebrate the life of Don Choate will be held Saturday, August 10, 2019, 2:00 pm at Beacon Baptist Church, 4950 N. Haltom Road, Haltom City, Texas. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment to follow at Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park, Colleyville. Address 5725 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville, Texas 76034. The family requests donations be made in memory of Don Choate to Beacon Baptist Church, or their chosen church. Family and friends can access service information from the website: bluebonnet hills.com.

The son of believers in Jesus Christ, Don said that he started going to church even before he was born on December 4, 1927, in Graham, Texas, to Gabriel LeRoy Choate and Winnie Nevada LaQuey Choate. Don was a faithful Christian throughout his life, serving in various roles in Baptist churches, including deacon, Sunday school superintendent, treasurer, usher, and leader of sanctuary construction. He thanked God every day for the blessings of his life.

Don served in the U.S. Navy two years active duty and 7 years in the reserves as an aviation machinist, equipping the combat planes that he was too tall to pilot. During his 46-year career in aircraft electrical and avionic systems, he worked for Consolidated-Vultee, Chance Vought, and 31 years at Bell Helicopter. He shared many stories from his aviation exploits, including serving as electrician for future Astronaut and Senator John Glenn. Always the problem-solver, Don installed and devised an operational protocol for cameras on the F8U-P (U-2) Reconnaissance planes that took the photos that helped avert the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962.

Don attended Hardin-Simmons University. After marrying in 1950, he and Raye Dell moved to Fort Worth for better opportunities for their planned family. He enjoyed golf, football, water skiing, gardening, spending time at their place at Horseshoe Bend on the Brazos River, vacationing in Colorado, and traveling the world with his wife, from Maine to Hawaii, Florida to Canada and Alaska, Australia to Switzerland. Don is preceded in death by his father and mother.

Don is survived by the joy of his life, his wife of almost 69 years, Raye Dell Carroll Choate; daughter, Cynthia D. Hall and son-in-law Author of Spring, Texas; daughter, Vicki D. Cleveland and son-in-law Arthur of Granbury, Texas; son, Donald Leslie Choate and daughter-in-law Laurie of Haltom City, Texas; sister, Juanell Caldwell and brother-in-law Bob of Granbury, Texas; sister, June Cox, of Granbury, Texas; granddaughter, Lauren Choate of Millsap, Texas; granddaughter, Natalie Davis and her husband Zach of Portland, Texas; grandson, Joshua Famigletti of Haltom City, Texas; two great-grandsons, Layton Reeve and Walker Davis; two great-granddaughters, Emma Reese James and Desi-Lu James; three step-grandchildren, three nephews, two nieces, and many cousins and extended family.