Donald Booker Childress

Donald Booker Childress, 81, of Oklahoma City, died Sunday, April 19, 2026. Don, also called Booker by many friends and family members, was born to Martha (Booker) and Leon Childress on Sept. 26, 1944, in Joplin, Missouri, and grew up in Baxter Springs, Kansas.

After graduating in 1962 from Baxter Springs High School, where he was a popular student known for his charm and flashing blue eyes, he went to his beloved University of Kansas and became a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. He earned a degree in business in 1966 and remained a devoted Jayhawk for the rest of his life.

After college, Don moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to work at the Quapaw Company, the family business his father started in 1955. Though always a Kansas fan, he became a popular presence around Oklahoma State University, befriending coaches and alumni and making many lifelong friends in this close-knit community before moving to Edmond, Oklahoma, in 1985.

Don used his considerable social skills to build a successful home building business, Childress Custom Homes, after leaving the Quapaw Company in the 1980s. His clients adored him and depended on his expertise for 40 years. His skill and dedication to his profession can be seen today in the beautiful custom homes he built throughout Edmond and Oklahoma City. When you hired Don, you got him 24 hours a day, and even in retirement he fielded calls from people seeking his help and expertise.

A member of the golf team in high school, Don had a lifelong love of the sport, which he only gave up after his back refused to cooperate. He was a charter member of Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmond, where he played countless rounds of golf and no doubt left many friends penniless from late-night gin games. Don was also an instrument-rated pilot in his youth, which added quite a bit of cache to his roguish persona.

Don loved his dogs Sandy and Sam, whom he missed dearly and still spoke of right up until his death. He also loved being a builder, spending his days happily driving around to his job sites, and always had blueprints rolling around in his many Jeeps through the years. The life of any party and an affable and generous conversationalist, Don could talk to anyone and he will be missed.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, Martha and Leon Childress, and his brother, Bob Childress. He is survived by his wife, Dana, four children and their spouses Allyson Childress, John Childress, Katy Johanson and Jack Childress; as well as two grandchildren, Ally and Milly Johanson. Also surviving are his sister, Carol Jones, and his nieces Ginny Dagg, Laura Gibson and Kimberly Temple, and their spouses.

His memorial service, provided by Hahn-Cook/Street & Draper, will begin at 1 p.m. on April 28, 2026, at All Souls’ Episcopal Church in Nichols Hills, Oklahoma. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Oklahoma Humane Society.