Don was born in Bentonville on January 6, 1934 to Goldie (Clement) Sisk and Floyd Forrest Sisk). Don’s family growing up included his mother Goldie (Clement) Sisk, his grand father, Burton Clement, his Uncle Charlie Clement and his older brother Bill Sisk. Don had five other half brothers and sisters: Margie (Sisk) Cannon, Marilyn (Sisk) Fitch, James Sisk, Paul Sisk and Marcella “Marti” (Sisk) Gray. Paul currently lives in Goodman, Missouri and Marti lives in Memphis, Tennessee.
Don grew up on a farm north of Bentonville. He attended Valley View, a one room grade school, then graduated from Bentonville High School in 1952. After graduation, he spent two years in the army, serving over seas in Hawaii. After discharge from the army in June of 1962, he returned to Bentonville and started his own taxi business. After 17 years he closed the taxi business and went to work at CTS in Bentonville. He retired from CTS after 15 years. He was a member of the Church of Christ in Bentonville for 55 years.
He married Leota (McGee) Sisk on February 14th, 1964. They had two children Rachel Ann and John David.
Don was always so friendly and helpful. Everyone in town knew him as a person who was devoted to serving others and would go the extra mile to help where he was needed. Many of his taxi customers were elderly ladies who needed help with things like grocery shopping and putting their groceries away. Some were young children who would ride to school in his taxi. Don would always keep them entertained and get them there safe and sound. Later when he went to work at CTS he again showed that same willingness to help and make everyone’s day. He joined in the company culture with laughing and joking and even dressing up for Halloween which surprised us all but he did it and one year won a cash prize for best costume, all for fun and for making things better for the people around him. He gave his winnings to a church project. In later years he would mow lawns for elderly neighbors. His neighbors considered him a great neighbor and a great friend.
Don’s son in law Gary Lyon said, “Don was a man of commitment. He was a man you could count on to do what he said he would do. He kept his commitments to God to his wife and family and to serving his country and others.”
Don’s granddaughter, Katy Garrison, wrote this:
“Grandfather. Indeed, the grandest father figure I had during my formative years. Grandpa had an air of stoic, reserved strength but that never stopped him from throwing the wittiest wisecracks into conversation I ever heard. To this day, I remember how easily he could make me laugh with a well-timed joke as a kid. Through his lifelong actions, Grandpa taught me the value of prudence and critical thinking. I grew from a child who saw him as just my grandpa to a woman who saw him as a smart, efficient, reliable man who had so much to teach me if I observed closely enough. I dearly love him and I always will. I recall every happy moment we spent together, and each time I stopped and thought to myself how grateful to God I was for having put him and I in each others' lives. I will miss him everyday for the rest of mine. Grandpa is a part of me, and that part will never pass away.”
About a year ago when Don moved to Ashley House due to his ill health, his son John David Sisk wrote this about his father:
My dad is in ill health. A man that was once strong and proud has a failing body. The
tremors of Parkinson’s disease, onset of dementia, and the frailness of his sub 100lb frame
have left him hunched over and unable to walk without assistance. It’s not his funeral, but
his body’s. I know that his time is near, and there is an element of sadness to see him in his
current state. When tears flow down his cheek, I know that he is embarrassed by the
imprisonment he must feel. But I know the man inside. I know he’s ready to meet God and
that gives me immense comfort. On the eve of his funeral, I’ll be emotional; not for the void
he is leaving, for that has been eroded with time, but for the home that’s waiting for him.
Don is survived by his wife Leota (McGee) Sisk, children Rachel Ann Lyon, John David Sisk, and six grandchildren.
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