Donald Esry

Donald H. Esry (Don), passed away very unexpectedly on Sunday, October 14, 2012. He and Mary Joe enjoyed 50 wonderful years together and she will need your love and prayers in the coming days. Besides Mary Joe, he is survived by his sons, Don, Jr. (Meg) of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Jim (Linda) of Eufaula, Alabama, and three grandchildren, Kaylin, Austin and Skye. Don's parents were Dalson and Dorothy Esry, and his sister Anne (John) lives in Holly Springs, North Carolina. Don graduated from Gainesville High School, and then from the University of Florida with a degree in Civil Engineering. He and Mary Joe were married on June 9, 1962, and following a tour in the Army from which he achieved the rank of Captain, he spent most of his career working for the Northwest Florida Water Management District and later for the Department of Corrections, both in Tallahassee, Florida. Family, church and doing for others were Don's primary focus. Over the years, he rarely missed Sunday school events or his boy's school or church functions, serving many years as Scout Master for Troop 115 in Tallahassee. Over the years, he managed to donate several gallons of blood to various blood bank organizations and he gained a real fondness for spending weekends working on Habitat for Humanity build sites after he and Mary Joe moved to Gulf Breeze, Florida, to be closer to family. After retirement, they enjoyed traveling around the country to visit new places and see old friends. A service of celebration for Don's life will be held at 4:00 p.m., on Wednesday, October 17, at First United Methodist Church in Pensacola, immediately followed by a reception at the church. His body will be laid to rest at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Jacksonville at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 19. All family and friends are invited to join us in these celebrations. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the First United Methodist Church memorial fund for Habitat for Humanity.

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