Donald Lawrence Lindsley II

Surviving him is his wife of 64 years, Eugenia (“Shine”) Copp Lindsley; daughters: Dawna Owenby (Steve) of Denver, NC and Andrea Tomlinson (Cary) of Lynchburg, VA; grandchildren: Megan Cady (Zach), Josh Owenby (Ally), Christy Owenby, all of Charlotte, NC, Victoria Eisenhauer, Ashton Tomlinson and Camryn Tomlinson of Lynchburg, VA; and great-grandchildren: Emma, Charlie and Whit Cady, Asher Owenby, Clark and Arie Jane Eisenhauer. He is also survived by two sisters, Deborah Twiss of Cocoa, FL and Doreen Mahoney (Earl) of Hanson, MA. As well, he is survived by his nieces, nephews and his “bonus” grands and great-grands.

He was preceded in death by his parents: Donald L. Lindsley, Sr. and Dorothy Bell Lindsley Mitchell; and his oldest sister, Diana L. Diamantas.

His greatest love was for Jesus, his family and the friends who were like family over the years. He could be counted on always for anything. He never missed the big events in his family’s lives and showed up for all the everyday, little events that meant the world to them. He loved a good “Dad Joke” and any joke that was a play on words or was "punny". He was hard to beat, watching Jeopardy every night, as his breadth of knowledge was seemingly endless.

He was a long-time member of Calvary Baptist Church in Hanson, MA and a member of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA. He was faithful to his church serving in various capacities over the years and he especially enjoyed being in the church choir, singing praises to his Lord.

An avid antique automobile fan, he belonged to several car clubs and owned several antique vehicles over the years. He loved American-made cars, specifically Kaiser-Frasers – he owned and restored several over the years. His last pride and joy was a 1965 Plymouth Valiant.

He was a graduate of Newport High School (Newport, VT), Lyndon State College (Lyndonville, VT) and the University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA) where he received his Master’s Degree in School Administration. He was an elementary school teacher, a principal, and an assistant principal in Fairlee, VT, Hadley, MA, Hanson, MA and Gadsden, AL. He mainly taught fourth grade and spent many years teaching in the gifted and talented program. His students loved him due to his steady and laid-back approach to teaching. He was often referred to as “Mr. L” by his students. In over 40 years of teaching, his impact on young minds cannot be measured or known; but it was the purpose of his life.

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." – Henry Brooks Adams.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38, 39