Cloudy, 53° F
Donald Charles Easton, 89, passed away on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, at Highgate Senior Living in Billings, Montana.
Don was born on March 19, 1932, from Albert Ray Easton and Talitha Sullivan Easton. He was the second of two children. Their birth mother Talitha passed away shortly after his birth. Don’s father remarried Erma Ogbin in 1933. Erma assisted in the raising of Donald and his sister, Rae Lee Easton.
He attended elementary school, junior high school, and high school in Powell.
Don joined the Navy in 1951 and served as a Navy Corpsman. He was assigned to the Marines through 1955. While working in the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland in 1955, a good friend introduced Don to Loretta Ann Forrest of Roanoke, Virginia via a blind date. After a year of courting and corresponding they fell in love and were married on June 23, 1956.
They moved several times after they were married, beginning in Powell. While living in Powell, Don attended Northwest College and Ann worked at the Powell Valley Hospital. In 1957, they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where Don attended mortuary school and then moved to Laramie, Wyoming, where he received his bachelor’s degree in business. In 1965, after working five years at USF&G Insurance, he then moved from Lakewood, Colorado, back to Powell and purchased the Easton Funeral Home from his father.
Don and Ann’s hearts were so full of love they adopted four children: Raymond Charles, Christopher Lee, Tamara Marie, and Barbra Ann.
Don’s lifetime was spent serving others. He was an active member of the Rotary, American Legion, Elks, Shriners, Powell Country Club, Crown Hill Cemetery Board, Park County Coroner, Funeral Directors Association of Wyoming, Powell City Council, and served as mayor of Powell from 1977 through 1981.
He served the Powell community and Park County for over 30 years as director of Easton Funeral Home and over 25 years as Park County Coroner.
He enjoyed hunting, snowmobiling, and golfing, along with entertaining family and friends at their cabin in Red Lodge, Montana. In his later years, Don enjoyed their winter home in Happy Trails, Arizona.
He was preceded in death by his mother, father, stepmother, sister Rae Lee Easton, and wife, Ann Easton.
He is survived by one cousin, Penny Lowe, of Montrose, Colorado; his children Raymond (Tammy) of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Chris (Zita) of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Tamara of Billings, Montana, and Bobbie Wilk (Jerry) of Lovell, Wyoming; his grandchildren; Nichole, Heather, James, Amy, and Michael, Sarah and Sean, Maiya, Amanda and Max; and great grandchildren: Hope, Weston, Eva and Isaac.
A viewing will be held at Thompson Funeral Home on Nov. 5, from 7 to 8 p.m. The funeral services is on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m., at St. Barbara’s Catholic Church.
Thompson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements and burial. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Shriners Children’s Hospital.
