Donald Lee Breedlove, 80, of Bucyrus, Mo., passed away in his home on Sept. 8, 2017, after a long battle with cancer. Donald was born Jan. 12, 1937, in Plato, Mo., to Ernest and Leona (Brooks) Breedlove.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Ernest “Junior”, William, Leo, Charles, Vernon, Danny, Lester and David; one sister, Vivian; a son, Donald “Dune”; and a grandson, Justin.
Donald is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Mary of the home; a sister, Joyce Carmack and husband, Louie, of Roby; a sister-in-law, Hazel Breedlove of Lynchburg; three sons, Steve Breedlove of the home, Roger Breedlove and wife, Regina, of Success and Kevin Breedlove and wife, Michelle, of Clarksville, Tenn.; a daughter, Donra McCown and husband, Virgle, of Bucyrus; 14 grandchildren, Megan Cornelius, Deidre Fenn, Amanda Breedlove, Michelle Breedlove, Josh Breedlove, Taylor Breedlove, Russell McCown, Jessica Dzurick, Bryant Holden, Patric McCown, Ashley Blagg, Kyle Breedlove, Cody Breedlove and Casey Breedlove; 14 great-grandchildren, Hank, Declan, Raelee, Calvin, James Crook, Tyler, Brooke, Hannah, Dalton, Dylan, Ari, Emma, Haley and Hunter; two dogs, Poncho and Mikey; a cat, Garfield; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, family, friends, neighbors and kids that considered him their grandpa too.
Donald started working at a young age at the sawmill in Roby. He married Mary Campbell on Sept. 12, 1958, to this union there were five children, Steve, Donald Jr, Roger, Donra and Kevin. Besides working at the sawmill for a number of years, Donald was a fur dealer. He bought and sold from all over this area. A lot of people have fond memories of coming and seeing him when they sold fur. He was featured in the “Trappin” magazine with a picture and article on his catches for the season. It was a national recognition of his trapping abilities. Don was also a wood cutter and could outwork anyone that ever went with him. He also was a caretaker of a local farm. He enjoyed taking care of the animals and took pride in how well they always looked. His dog, Poncho, was his constant companion.
He loved the outdoors. Hunting, fishing, trapping and coon hunting were some of his favorite things to do. His family and friends were always involved in his activities; from spending the whole weekend with his family on the river bank to taking his grandkids to check traps with him. Donald was a great teacher and was willing to share his knowledge on whatever anyone wanted to know. He shared his home with anyone that needed one. It didn’t matter whether they were “kin” or not. He would help them out until they could get on their feet. We don’t know how many people have said, if it weren’t for him, they wouldn’t be here today. He was always helping someone out; from mowing their grass, cutting down a tree, or just stopping by to check on someone that was ill. He never complained, even when his health started to fail.
Donald was so appreciative of care that he received and the care provider would leave feeling like they had just been blessed by caring for him. He was so proud of his kids and all of their accomplishments in life. Donald was the perfect example; he was a hard worker, wonderful father, friend and husband. He will be missed by all that knew him. He will live in our hearts and memories forever.
The family will be hosting a memorial service at a later time in November, close to deer season. His wishes were to be cremated. Cremation was under the direction of Evans Funeral Home.
Memorials may be made in his honor to Success Baptist Church or Hospice Compassus, Mountain Grove, Mo. To send an online condolence to the family, go to www.evansfh.com.
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