Don (Donald) Parker Hammersley, 75, originally from Texas, passed away Monday, 2-8-2021 in his beloved mountains in Montana, from chronic health problems.
Preceded in death by all grandparents, father Arthur Ray, mother Mildred, stepmother Lola, brothers Thomas and Arthur Douglas, and niece Wendy.
Survived by his children Lynn (Bob) and Matthew, his grand-children Anna (Jordan) and Eric (Danielle), his great-grand-children Aurora and Adaline, his estranged wife Maralyn, sister-in-law Faye, nephew Wade (Laura), niece Tammy (Alex), nephew Ray, and lifelong friends Ron and Timmy.
Don served in the military as a helicopter mechanic in the Army as part of the 1st Cav with three tours in Viet Nam, and finished his twenty years of honorable service as a jet engine mechanic in the Navy earning the privilege of being buried at sea. While in the Navy he spent his free time participating in shooting tournaments around the world. His favorite tours of duty in the Navy were served on the USS Enterprise and USS Midway.
After retiring out of the Navy from Coronado, California he migrated between Montana in the summers and Arizona in the winters as an avid outdoorsman. He built his own cabin utilizing natural resources from his land in the mountains of Montana. He then pursued his pilots licence while working on building his own ultralight plane. Additionally he loved sharing his passion and knowledge of historical weapons and spending time working on his hobbies. His hobbies included word carving, oil painting, photography, learning ancient Greek, Latin and Hebrew, reading, restoring antique weapons and clocks, singing and playing music, camping, fishing, sailing, and spending time with his family and friends.
His entire life he was known for his quick wit and being a true gentleman who loved his top hat, tails, and walking stick but, if you asked him he considered himself a grumpy old man. Regardless he is loved and is missed by his family and friends