Don Garland Scott

Don Garland Scott, 79, of Mansfield, Texas, surrounded by loved ones, went to be with his Lord and Savior on April 15, 2024.

Don was born on July 28, 1944, in Vernon, Texas, to parents Jewel Maurine Jones Scott and A.D. Scott.

He is preceded in death by his first wife, Margie Morris Scott. They were wed on May 24, 1966, and enjoyed 51 years of marriage, until her passing in 2017.

Don is survived by his wife, Gayle Wright Scott, wed on November 9, 2018, and married for five years. He also leaves behind a loving daughter, Angela Scott Geisendorff and her husband Ed Geisendorff; two grandsons: Brandon Geisendorff and Daniel “Donnie” Geisendorff; a sister, Leigh Ann Scott Clifford and her husband Ed Clifford; three stepchildren: Jerry Wright, Larry Wright, and Debbie Martin and their spouses; 15 step-grand children and their spouses; and 20 step-great grandchildren; nieces: Maggie Clifford Hendrix and her husband Clayton Hendrix and grandnephew Bryce Hendrix, Jamie Reeves and her husband Randall Reeves and grandnephew Jason Foura and his wife Ali Foura, Kristi Benson (d. 2021) grandnephew Hayden Crossland and grandniece Mattie Hill; nephews: James Clifford, Trey Morris and husband Jerome and grandniece Thalia Morris and grandnephew Kalon Morris;

Don graduated in 1962 from Monahans High School (Go Lobos!) and in 1967, he received his Bachelor of Science in Education from Texas Tech University (Guns Up!).

He used that degree to teach high school math and physics in San Angelo, Texas. While doing so, Don was drafted into the Army where he served as a Computer Console Operator. and thus, his love of computers began. After his discharge from the military, he began his 35-year career as a civil servant, working as a computer systems developer and project manager. For the majority of his career, he worked for General Services Administration, an independent agency of the US government, which supports the basic functioning of federal agencies. Many of those years were spent in the Washington, D.C. office, much to the dismay of his family (especially his mother). Therefore, his final transfer was to the US Treasury Department in Farmers Branch, Texas, his last posting before retirement.

Don was a committed Christian who loved the Lord. He was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ. Since 2006 he was a faithful member of Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ, in Arlington, Texas. He loved to read his Bible every day and encouraged others to do the same.

Don enjoyed all things outdoors: Camping – he even built his own RV; Boating – he had several; Fishing – every chance he got; Hunting – or maybe just collecting the guns for hunting; Woodworking – he converted a bedroom into a shop where he became an expert woodworker.

When he was a child, Don’s mother bought him a guitar. He taught himself to play it, and then played and sang the rest of his life. Even late in life he would watch YouTube videos to learn more, and practice for hours until his fingers hurt.

Don loved sports. He loved watching golf and, in recent years, rooting for Scottie Scheffler. But he loved watching all sports, especially the Dallas Cowboys and any Texas Tech sporting events.

Don was an amateur ornithologist—bird watcher—and built numerous birdhouses for their backyard. He and Gayle loved to sit on the back porch for hours and watch and document the variety of birds they saw, more than twenty in all.

For many years Don volunteered for Friend Speak, a ministry outreach of Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ at the University of Texas Arlington’s Christian Campus Center (TriC), in which they practiced conversational English with international students using the Bible. Prior to COVID-19, he went to the campus four days per week, and after COVID-19, he continued serving in the ministry by meeting remotely, on Zoom. During that time, Friend Speak was contacted by Jeanie, from China, who heard about the program and wanted to learn more. She was assigned to Don, and they spoke online several times a week for over 2½ years. Last year, she and her family moved to the United States, to the Metroplex, in fact. They were able to continue their lessons and became dear friends, not just Jeanie, but her husband and son as well. Don especially enjoyed getting to teach her son a little bit of guitar.

Don, Great is your reward.

Don’s family invites you to attend a time of visitation on Thursday, April 25, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Blessing Funeral Home.
The Memorial Service to honor his life and legacy will be held at 9am, on April 26, also at Blessing Funeral Home, followed by interment at DFW National Cemetery at 11am.
We celebrate that Don is with the Lord, but he will be deeply missed by those whose lives he touched.