Major Donald T. Fitzgerald USAF(retired)

Mr. Donald Truett Fitzgerald, husband to Marie Fitzgerald, was born December 6, 1929 in Bernice. He died in Farmerville on January 2, 2019 at the age of 89.

Don graduated from Bernice High School in 1947 and enlisted in the United States Air Force (USAF). In 1950, he was stationed in Canada at Goose Bay in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was in Goose Bay where he met a young Canadian named Marie Dolores Gagnon, who was working at the post exchange for US airmen. Don and Marie married in 1951 in Golden Lake, Ontario, Canada and spent the rest of Don's 23 year USAF career traveling the world, while stationed in Florida, Texas, Arizona, France, Germany and finally Oregon. In the USAF, Don served as a pilot on the Boeing B-29 Superfortress for dozens of bombing runs across North Korea during the Korean War. He later flew the T-33 Shooting Star (the T-Bird) until he was injured in an emergency ejection. He finished his career flying military cargo transports on the Douglas C-47 Skytrain in Thailand. Don retired in 1970 at the rank of major and re-settled with his family to Farmerville.

Don spent his retirement years as an avid gardener and bird watcher. He was also known to make his grandchildren a mean Southern breakfast of grits, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy. He is preceded in death by his parents, Odie L. and Carrie Fitzgerald, his two brothers, Odie L. "Roy" and Dean Fitzgerald, his cousin, Dr. Luther Farrar, his great-grandson, Raylan Douthit, and his favorite dog Hobo. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Marie, his four children (Nancy Kyle of Brandon, Miss., Brenda Allen of Downsville, Donald A. Fitzgerald of West Monroe, and Melanie Douthit (Jeff) of West Monroe), his nine grandchildren (Kelly, Carrie, Erin, Jared, Truitt, Joshua, Ashley, Daniel, and Arielle) and a number of great grandchildren, friends, and relatives.

Services will be held on Wednesday, January 9 at 10am at Farrar Funeral Home in Farmerville, followed by burial with military honors at Pisgah Cemetery in Bernice.