Donald Ralph Tomberlin

I spent much of my day sitting on a rock high up in the mountains. Stretching to the horizon in front of me was a panorama of what-will-be, a landscape of the future, of events that I can only visualize and will never experience. Like all futures, it was an uncharted, somewhat dark, and scary territory, a place best left for others to explore, manipulate, and love. I shall never leave footsteps on its promises.
Shifting my tired old butt, I looked in the other direction and stared into the vast and fuzzy landscape of my precious past!
These are words written by my father, Donald Tomberlin, that I found on his computer after his death under the file name of Obituary. It really sums up his amazing 84 years of life and shows his unique vision and imaginative mind. Forever the patient teacher, father, grandfather, and husband he was never a loss for words or wisdom. His knowledge of nature and the world around us was as vast as was his love for both.
It is impossible for me to truly list all his achievements or tell the many stories that each of us have of how he affected our lives, but like he says above despite the tiredness of his old butt he did have a precious past and for all of us with the honor of being part of it, our pasts and even our fuzzy futures are more precious because of him.
Don was born 84 years ago in January of 1940 in Colorado where he spent a majority of his life. He also lived in Albuquerque NM before ending up in Marshall TX. He passed away on the morning of July 30th with his wife of 63 years, Shirley, by his side. He is survived by his 3 children, Shelly, David, and Michael and his 7 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.
I also found quotes he saved in his many computer files and these 2 seem to fit the occasion.
"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart." Eleanor Roosevelt
Don was a true friend to many and he has definitely left many footprints on our hearts but (in his words) never on the promises of the future.
"Missing someone is not about how long it has been since you've seen them, or the amount of time since you've talked. It is about every moment when you are doing something and wishing they were there with you." Dru Edmond Kucherera

We will miss you Don, Grampa, Pop, Dad and I'm sure there will be many times where we are wishing you were there with us in our uncharted futures. Just know that those futures are not as dark or scary because we like you have had a precious past that included you. We wish you peace as you sit on that rock and peruse the new landscape around you.

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