Donald Mashburn

James Donald Mashburn, 91, died August 22, 2023.

Born in Barberton, OH, on January 18, 1932, Don was the son of the late Edgar William Mashburn and Edna Parham Mashburn.  He was also preceded in death by his beloved wife of 71 years, Ruth Marlene Adams Mashburn, his brothers William “Ray” Mashburn, Earl D. Mashburn and sisters Betty Jean Mashburn and Dorothy Mashburn Williams.

During the Great Depression, Edgar, his father, found work in Ohio and moved the family there for a short time, until his mother fell ill with a debilitating stroke in 1939.  It was then that the family returned home to the Athens, Ga, area, living in the ‘old home place’ on the corner of Griffith and John Collier Rd.  From there, Don and his siblings walked several miles everyday all the way to the Archer Grove School, a few miles east of Jefferson Rd.  As a youngster living with his parents at the ‘old home place’, Don helped take care of his incapacitated mother, worked on their small farm and learned skills that he would use for the remainder of his life.

After elementary school, Don attended the Normal High School that later became the Naval Supply Corp School on Prince Ave.  It was here that Don met the love of his life, Marlene Ruth Adams, and they were later married in November of 1950.  Don supported his family by working in several plants in the Athens area, most notably Westinghouse-ABB, from which he retired after 30 years of service as a production planning control manager.  Don took exceptional pride in his work, and his impeccable work ethic was always noticed by upper management, as he received several awards over his career.  Upon his retirement, Don poured more of his time and energy into his gardens and worked part time delivering cars with Acura and Volvo of Athens.  These were notably the happiest days of his life, as he enjoyed getting out, meeting folks, and traveling around the southeast.  He loved the camaraderie of the staff at Acura and enjoyed being around all his ‘retiree’ friends that worked alongside him.

Once an avid hunter and fisherman, Don earned the nickname “Buck” because on the many hunting trips he took with his friends, he could never seem to harvest a buck.  He showed everyone up on the lake though, as he had quite a knack for landing a big bass, several of which were mount worthy, but they always ended up on our plates on Saturday evenings.  He also enjoyed motorcycling for several years with his friends on frequent weekend rides to the North Georgia mountains.  His true talent was gardening though, as he grew the ‘best tasting award winning tomatoes’.   Don would often harvest up to 35 lbs in a week from just a few plants, which he would share with his family and friends.  He was a beekeeper and really enjoyed nurturing his bees and collecting the honey.  He absolutely loved Gospel Music and would spend several hours a day watching and listening to music in his latter years.  If there was a ‘singin’ close by, you could bet he and Marlene would be in attendance!

One of Don’s best attributes was his gift of storytelling.  He loved sharing stories with his friends and new acquaintances about his experiences.  He had a wonderful sense of humor and could always share a witty anecdote with anyone, even a stranger.  Don was beloved by his family and his church family.  He was a long time member of Oconee Heights Baptist Church, where most importantly he came to know Christ as his Lord and Savior, and then later his membership was at Forest Heights Baptist Church.  He loved giving and attending church, and did so as often as he could, even when it was physically difficult for him to get there.

Survivors include three children, Karen (Kenny) Kilgore of Athens, GA, Jeanne’ (Jim) Lee-Pearce of Buford, GA, Greg (Kim) Mashburn of Athens, GA; seven grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 2:00 PM at Forest Heights Baptist Church with Rev. Clay Crews of Forest Heights Baptist Church officiating.  Interment will follow in Attica Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 1:00 PM until 1:45pm at Forest Heights.

Flowers are accepted. Memorials may be made to The Gideon’s International,

c/o The Gideon’s International Processing Center, PO Box 97251, Washington, DC 20090-7251.

Lord and Stephens Funeral Home, WEST, Watkinsville, is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com