Don’s Obituary by Jan Chapman

Our treasured Don Strickland – husband, father, brother, uncle, cousin, grandad, mentor, and friend – slipped out of a failing body and into the next adventure on Thursday, October 27, 2022. The love of his life, Jo Ann, was by his side, as she was for over 41 years. Don made a brilliant and inspiring 4-year effort to live life to the fullest while coping with the gradually disabling effects of glioblastoma.

“Please don’t let this event define your lives in negative ways,” Don wrote 3 years ago. Nothing would please him more than knowing everyone was moving forward now with joy.

Don was born on May 27, 1955 in Waco, TX to Walton and Jane Strickland. He grew up in small towns all over Texas – the son of a Baptist preacher. Don enjoyed a close relationship with both of his parents as well as with his siblings – older twin brothers Walt and Willie, and younger sister, Suanne.

He met Jo Ann in 1980 at South Main Baptist Church in Houston. They were engaged after three months and married seven months later. Their early years together were fraught with miscarriages and infertility, but they ended up wildly blessed with three amazing children – Ben, Conner, and Abbi.

Don was a mentor/helper/teacher in his personal and professional life. He worked for 23 years at Schlumberger and 20 years at Apple, where he – quite passionately – specialized in helping people simplify & master their interactions with computers. He loved what he did, including helping friends and family by introducing them to email and the internet before anyone had heard of it, and supporting them with his technical expertise the rest of his life.

There was never a stranger in Don’s orbit. He enjoyed meaningful conversations and wouldn’t hesitate to engage anyone he met in one of those deep-thought exchanges. He liked authentic contact, deep dives into all subjects, and shared connections with people of all ages and identifications. He liked to day trade, write, hike, play disc golf, laugh, talk to his children, listen to great music, eat Jo Ann’s biscuits, and share meals with friends. He was also an avid bicyclist, riding up to 100 miles at a time until his body wouldn’t allow it, which is when he discovered the recumbent bicycle that enabled him to continue to pedal to his heart’s content. His frequent rides on the recumbent bike often included his brother, brother-in-law, or Jo Ann – all of whom will be forever grateful for the introduction to recumbent biking and the hours pedaling alongside Don.

Family was Don’s greatest joy. He was not at all hesitant in his expression of love, admiration, and pride when it came to his wife and kids. He supported every adventure, twist and turn in those humans’ lives – an “I’m always here for you” love that will be forever deeply missed.

He ran a good race – living well past the 12-18 month prognosis he was given in 2018. He used the time well – connecting with friends and family all over the country for those long and meaningful conversations he so enjoyed, devouring books, and getting out of bed every day but the very last two with a resolve to take in everything he could.

Don leaves these dear ones to grieve: his wife, Jo Ann; children Ben Rhodeland and his wife Amelia, Conner Strickland, Abbi Hearne, her husband Callen and their daughter Hyder; mother Jane Strickland, brothers Walt and Willie, sister Suanne, and a multitude of favorite cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws, and friends.

Included among important family members who left ahead of Don are his dad, Walton Strickland, his dearest mother-in-law Emily Hugg Holmberg, and his father-in-law Art Holmberg.

Don had a blog for many years on WordPress – titled, My Road. The banner across the top of the site includes this quote from his beloved former pastor, Browning Ware: “On every road, there is a wilderness. Through every wilderness there is a road.”