Donald Adrian Thigpen

THIGPEN, Donald Adrian - Age 73 of Hermitage, TN, November 8, 2010. Preceded in death by parents, Avery & Mildred Thigpen; brother, Mickey Thigpen. Survived by wife, Peggy Spain Thigpen; daughters, Kimberly (Mike) Dorris, Kathryn (Jackie) Posey; grandsons, Christopher Dorris, Chandler Dorris, Chase Dorris; granddaughters, Kelsey Robbins, Kortney Robbins, Kristen Robbins; step-grandsons, David Posey & Levi Posey; brother, Rudy Thigpen; sister, Barbara Dell Morris and several nieces. Funeral services will be conducted 2:00 p.m. Thursday at Hermitage Funeral Home with Pastor Randy Cordell officiating. Interment will follow at Hermitage Memorial Gardens. Family & friends will serve as pallbearers.Family request donations be made to Lakeshore Christian Church, 5434 Bell Forge Lane East, Antioch, TN 37013. Visitation with the family will be Wednesday 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Hermitage Funeral Home, 535 Shute Lane, Old Hickory, TN 37138, (615) 889-0361.

www.hermitagefh.com

Biography

Donald Adrian Thigpen was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Donald was born on December 12, 1936 at Lauderdale County Courthouse in Florence, AL. His parents were Avery and Grace Thigpen. Donald was raised in Florence, AL. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Thigpen household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Donald was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Donald was raised with three siblings. He had an older brother, Rudy: younger brother, Mickey; and a younger sister Barbara Dell,. Donald was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Donald and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Donald was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Donald was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Donald developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Donald took part i. However, what Donald enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Donald as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Coffee High School in 1955. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Calculus. Donald was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Donald always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Donald handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Donald was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. Donald was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Donald well during his college experience. He earned his Bachelor of Science in math from Athen University. His favorite courses were in math. Donald attended University of Alabama for the majority of his college experience and his favorite.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Donald was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Donald was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Donald to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Keneth Dial, Jim Ringnell, and Howard Johnson. Later in life, he became friends with Olie Lambert, Ron and Teri McCallister, Lynn and George Stenglein, Art Laird, Bob Robinson Jr.

On June 16, 1962 Donald exchanged wedding vows with Peggy Sue Spain at the Sixteenth Avenue Baptist of Decatur, Alabama. Compassionate and devoted to Pegg, Donald held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Pegg and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

Donald brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Donald was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Donald was blessed with two daughters, Kimberly and Kathryn. They were also blessed with six grandchildren, Christopher, Chandler, Chase, Kelsey, Kortney, and Kirsten.

Donald greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Donald enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Donald was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was technology system analyst. He was employed for 31 years by the Finance and Administration Department of the State of TN. He worked for Boeing Aircraft for ten years. He worked on the Appollo 11- flight to the moon. Donald worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Donald was an Army veteran. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of Sp 4. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Donald seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Donald Adrian Thigpen. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.