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Donald Thaxton, a military Veteran, retired Deputy in the Yakima Sheriff’s Office, and longtime resident of Yakima, WA, died on Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at the age of 90.

Don is a Cajun born in New Orleans, LA. In Kindergarten, he met his future life-long sweetheart, Sydney. They were schoolmates, high school sweethearts, and later married in 1950. (True forever.)

Don served with an exceptional Korean Expert as a Marine/Explosives & Demolitions Expert, gained many military decorations including the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and survived behind enemy lines for 5 days before returning of U.S. troops. He re -enlisted in the Army Military Police where he was accommodated by the Korean government and oversaw the surveillance of the Panmunjom Peace Talks. Lots of funny stories about that.

He spent 22 years with Army MPs, obtained numerous accommodations, in various assignments, including Hanau, Germany during the Cold War, earned honors from Polish and German govts., And finally lived as First Sergeant at Yakima Training Center, until retirement.

He was the ultimate outdoorsman (often serving as a guide for military generals), an expert marksman (both rifle and pistol), tracker, hunter, fisherman, had national dog hunting champion, and sportsman of the year in 1964. Be the filming with the “American Sportsman” TV Show.

Upon military retirement, he worked for the Dept. of Game as Game Warden, and as Deputy/Detective for the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office. He was later appointed Game Warden for life, the only one in state history. He served as founding President of the Yakima County Deputy Sheriff’s Assn., Assisted in the implementation of the original ORV and K-9 units, and taught explosive classes. He has served as a Homicide Detective and Munitions Expert in many high -profile cases. He was twice injured in the line of duty while working at YSO, retiring in the mid -1980’s.

In retirement, Don again committed his life to Christ, and focused on his church, his family, and his grandchildren. She loves to tell funny stories about her event-filled life, and grew up in the south. He ended each conversation with “God Bless.” She enjoys bringing apples to others, and makes sure she always has a bag of suckers to give wherever she goes.

Don is survived by his wife of 71 years, Sydney; his 4 children: Suzette (Tom) Carlson, Eric (Cathy) Thaxton, Lorene (Ken Lawson) Thaxton, Kathleen (Brenda) Blakk; 9 grandchildren: Todd Carlson, Casey Thaxton (Amanda), Kara Carlson (John), Evan Brestar (Melissa), Jeffrey Thaxton (Brianna), Taylor Nyberg (Kyle), David Thaxton (Danielle), Talia Brestar (Julian), Stephen Thaxton, and 18 great -grandchildren. Special thanks to Dr. Gabriel Lascar for being a great physician and close friend.

I miss Don, but he always says, “Don’t make me cry, I’m in heaven.” Happy memories and expressions of condolences can be shared at Langevin El Paraiso, www.lepfuneralhome.com.

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