Donald Lee Dillingham

Donald L. Dillingham CLAYTON, NC – Donald L. (Don) Dillingham, age 74, passed away on November 1, 2014. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held 2:00 PM Friday, November 7, 2014 in the Chapel of McLaurin Funeral Home in Clayton. He was born on August 8, 1940 in McDowell County. He spent most of his childhood in the East Marion area known as “Stump Town”. He left briefly to join the U.S. Navy, where his height made him a perfect addition to the National Honor Guard. He had the honor of meeting President John F. Kennedy, and he spent the Cuban Missile Crisis on the USS Truckee, off the coast of Cuba. After the Navy, Don returned to Marion and married Brenda Williams of the Pleasant Gardens community. They had two children and he began his long career as a newspaper man at the McDowell News, where he worked his way up to the Editor position. He moved to Catawba County, where they lived until both of their children graduated from high school. He and his wife then returned to McDowell County to be closer to family. Don decided to start his own newspaper, and “The Independent” printed its first edition in 1996. Don and Brenda decided to use their experience as parents to become house parents at South Mountain Children’s Home. After he retired, they moved to the Raleigh area, where he lived out the rest of his life. As a youth, Don was involved in athletics, and his love of sports carried through the rest of his life. Wherever he went, he became involved with the local athletic programs, and he inevitably became a mentor to the kids he met there. Hundreds of kids were inspired to put education first and go to college. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne C. Dillingham and Ossie Harvey Dillingham; and two brothers, Dennis D. Dillingham and Jerry R. Dillingham. He is survived by his wife, Brenda Williams Dillingham of Garner; his daughter, Donna Dillingham Coccaro and her husband Andrew of Abbeville, GA; his son John (Tony) Dillingham and his wife Stephanie of Garner; and three granddaughters, Abby and Zoe Dillingham and Cashzery Coccaro; a sister, Frances McNeely; and two brothers, Jack and Arthur Dillingham. The family will receive friends at the funeral home following the memorial service. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.mclaurinatpinecrest.com. Memorials may be made in Don’s memory to the American Cancer Society or to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Arrangements are with McLaurin Funeral Home in Clayton, NC.