Donald V. Temple

Born July 19, 1924, such a very long time ago.  He died on April 22, 2023.   Earth Day.  Seems fitting because he loved to garden and feeding the birds.  And he always recycled.

Dad was born in Dover Ohio at home, the first son of Victor and Beatrice.  He had a younger brother Dick.  All are gone.  He maintained lifelong friendships with most of his boyhood friends: Bill, Jack, Sam and Joe. They walked the woods,  fished the creeks, road bikes, swung on Mooney Warther’s swing and built a clubhouse with lumber they “borrowed” from the Railroad.  His little dog Boots went with them everywhere and he carried her in his satchel when her legs got tired.  Those fellas are all gone now,  too.  But Dad spoke of them often and carried them with him till the end.

After High School, Dad went to The Ohio State University, but dropped out his freshman year to join the Navy.   Because it was war time and that’s what you did.  He wanted to fly planes, but his poor eye sight kept him on the ground.  Instead he spent WWII on the aircraft carrier Saratoga as an airplane hydraulics specialist.   He wrote letters to his girlfriend Jean back home.  He mourned his friends who were killed by kamikaze attacks.  It was hell.  But Dad was one of the lucky ones to return home safely.

After the war, he returned to OSU to study Industrial Engineering.  He earned his Bachelors and Masters degree, met and married Pat Cappel, had a baby boy David and all of this by March of 1950.

Dad’s first job after graduation was with RCA Corporation in Indianapolis.  It was also his last job as an Engineer, retiring from RCA some 35 years later.  He told stories of the record division working round the clock to produce Elvis Presley records.  But

he worked in the new fangled TV production plant his entire career. We had the first color TV in the neighborhood and we watched Bonanza together  in living color.

While in Indianapolis, Dad and Mom bought a house and had two daughters: Debby and Cindy.  After that, work required a few moves: Cambridge Ohio, Memphis Tennessee and then back to Indy.

Those years were spent raising a family, planting gardens, fishing, bowling and a menagerie of pets. Lots  and lots of pets: dogs, cats, an iguana, ducks, chipmunks and eventually a pony in the backyard.  So many good stories: the chipmunk catching caper, the duck and the last tomato, the pony in the kitchen.

After retirement, Dad worked part time for Ace Hardware for another ten years.  He and Mom traveled the country in a van, took a train out west and visited Alaska.  They had a wonderful little dog named Ben who they took to McDonalds to share fries.

Dad and Mom met in a bowling alley and had their first date on St. Patrick’s Day.  They went fishing and later to a movie.  Their honeymoon was spent watching a double header in Cleveland.  Mom was an avid sports fan and Dad was a good sport, they had many fun years as Colts season ticket holders.

Dad lost Mom after 57 years of marriage and then Ben shortly after.  But he stayed in their home and still went to McDonalds and toasted Mom every night with his martini.  In these later years, he shared his home with his beloved cats Bourbon and then Molly.

Dad enjoyed running errands and driving his Jeep Liberty.  And although he hadn’t driven for the past year, he still had a valid driver’s license when he died.

The last year was hard after Dad fell and he moved to assisted living.  But he made new friends, shared his snacks with the people that helped him every day and he delighted over the resident dogs.

As Dad would say he had a good life.  He loved  his kids:  Dave Temple (Carmen), Debby Eads (Robin), and Cindy Jo Temple (Mike Morris) and  four grandkids:  Kati Uhl and Mark Uhl, both fellow OSU graduates, Stacy Jenkins, his birthday twin and Evan Temple, who gave  him great grandsons William and Levi, and is also a veteran.  All four inherited his keen  mind and a love of animals.

Two celebrations of life are planned:  Friday, July 28 at Flanner and Buchanon-Geist. 7855 Cork Rd 5-7 pm.  And Saturday, July 29 in Brown County, 4747 State Rd 135 South, Nashville.  2-4 pm.