FT. WORTH, Texas – Donald Porter Atchison, 94, a longterm resident of Fort Worth and recently of Denton, Texas, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, after a short illness.
Don was born in the farming community of Overbrook, Kan., and was an Overbrook Rural High School graduate. He graduated in 1944 from the University of Kansas with a degree in electrical engineering. He then joined the Army and was sent overseas to the Philippine Islands. Returning to the U.S. in 1946, he was mustered out of the Army as a first lieutenant.
Don met Penelope (Penny) Custer in Kansas City and they married in December 1946.
He worked in Lawrence, Kan. for a few years and returned to KU to obtain his master’s degree in electrical engineering. During this time Don and Penny had three children, Nancy and twins Donald Hugh and Deborah Sue. Don then had an opportunity to get into the aerospace industry and took a job with McDonald Douglas in Santa Monica, Calif. Four years later he moved his family to Fort Worth to join Convair which became General Dynamics and later Lockheed Martin. His fourth child, Mark, was born in Texas. Don spent 31 years working for this company and retired in 1988, but lost Penny to cancer in 1986. Never one to be idle, Don got active in retirement and served with SCORE, made and distributed meals to the homeless, taught Sunday school, sang in the choir, volunteered to do people’s income taxes and helped out at his church as needed. He was a charter member of St. Paul Presbyterian Church, North Richland Hills, Texas, where over the years he served as a deacon, an elder and a trustee. He also made time to play cards, golf and go for walks.
He met Marion Hanes in one of his bridge clubs and eventually they married in 1998. Don was a quiet, but outgoing, thoughtful and helpful man who never met anyone he didn’t like or anyone who didn’t like him. He loved to serve the Lord by helping and teaching others. He was a wonderful role model to all and leaves a legacy of faith, integrity and honesty to his family and friends.
Don was preceded in death by his six older brothers; first wife, Penny, and later by Marion; two daughters; and his grandson, Keith.
Survivors include his sons, Don and his wife, Carla, of Annapolis, Md., and Mark and his wife, Terry, Pilot Point, Texas; seven grandchildren, Andrew, Jared, Chad, Brett, Meagan, Grant and Cole; and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Nov. 3, at St. Paul Presbyterian Church, 4517 Rufe Snow Drive, North Richland Hills. Visitation will be 9-9:45 a.m. prior to the funeral. Interment will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at Overbrook Cemetery, Overbrook, Kan. Donations can be made to a charity of your choice.
