Donald G. Lashley

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Don Lashley fired off his final wisecrack on Jan. 13, 2022 in his hometown of Crawfordsville, surrounded by his children.

A 1951 graduate of Crawfordsville High School, Don met and later married another Athenian alum named Marilyn Fyffe in November 1954. In the early ‘60s, they moved to Russellville to open a hardware store. They eventually managed to raise five “pretty decent kids.”

Some of Don’s favorite memories included largemouth bass, golf scrambles, his kids’ sporting endeavors, gardening successes and the childhood antics of his friends and younger brothers, Richard and Louis Lashley. He also liked to share some of the more entertaining happenings at his hardware store, such as secret poker games, two break-ins, a little gossip by the pot-bellied stove and for a brief time, housing the tiny town library.

Don and Marilyn were married for 36 years and as couples often do, they drifted apart and divorced. A few years later, a fellow neatnik by the name of Phyllis Spencer, moved in a few doors down from Don’s apartment. They ended up sharing a home in Crawfordsville for more than 23 years. The kids usually just stayed in their garage during visits, for fear of spilling coffee in what was likely the tidiest place in Montgomery County.

Don was meticulous, stubborn and often moody, but just loved to make people laugh. He was Midwestern to a fault and never failed to tell you about the good deal he got on the dandiest pair of ...

Retirement never suited him, so he planted and maintained the flower beds at the Crawfordsville Municipal Golf Course, until a fall left him unable to continue. The extra money was just a bonus, getting to play golf with an employee discount was the greatest joy.

Diabetic since the age of 18, Don would want you all to know that he miraculously managed to leave this world with all of his fingers and toes in working order, despite a sweet tooth for chocolate ice cream, Little Debbie Snack Cakes and a Diet Coke chaser.

He is survived by his five children, Tammy Hunter, Wade, Tracy, Amy and Casey Lashley (wife Cindy); grandsons, Luke Hunter and Aaron Hunter (wife Raynan); granddaughters Brianna Hart (husband Ryan) and Olivia Lashley; and great-grandchildren, Lakynn and Jace Hart, Arwen and Rowan Hunter.

If you ever find yourself playing a round of golf at Crawfordsville Municipal, be sure to admire the flower beds, especially near the 17th hole.