Friday night, my Uncle Don passed away. Though he had been in not great health the last several years, it was completely unexpected.

I was trying to think of the right word on Saturday to describe him. I’m going to go with epic.

He was married to my mother’s sister and they ran the dairy farm where my mother grew up. The cows were sold maybe 10 years ago, but Don continued to grow crops and tend to the horses. He was a very quiet man, but polite, respectful and had a small smile that almost bordered a smirk had it been by anyone else. I think of him as top class.

And he was a cowboy. Which, even at my age now, is super badass. The man drove around in a Jeep with no doors, boots and hat and always with his dog.

I’m going to miss the man a lot. He certainly had an influence on me; we would visit the farm for a week every summer growing up. Yeah, in a lot of ways, epic is exactly the right word.

(I didn’t get a chance to nab the photos I wanted to post with this. I’ll add them tonight.)

The obit follows:

Don Grey Quesenberry, 76, left us suddenly at his residence on Friday, Dec. 12, 2008.

He was a devoted husband and companion to his loving wife of 48 years, Laura Hurt Quesenberry.

His passions in life were his wife, his children, coaching, teaching and farming. Don grew up on a beef and dairy farm in Carroll County with his parents, Dewey and Pearl (Shockley) Quesenberry of Hillsville, Va. His life in Carroll County as a child transferred to love of Laura and her parents’ farm, Iris Hill on Halls Bottom Road, in Bristol Virginia. Together Don and Laura owned and managed this farm from 1968 to 1996. The dairy herd numbered 200-plus registered Holsteins. With his master’s in guidance, Laura frequently commented that they had “the best guided cows in the country!”

Upon graduation from Hillsville High School, Don attended Virginia Tech. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War from 1952 to 1956. He graduated from Emory & Henry College in 1960 and received a Master’s in Education from ETSU in 1969. His civic involvement included positions as past chairman of the Holston River Soil and Water Conservation District, state director of Virginia Soil and Water Conservation, board of directors Select Sires, board of directors and past president of the Bristol Crisis Center and member of Walnut Grove Presbyterian Church. He was very active at Pleasant View United Methodist Church.

He is survived by his wife, Laura Hurt Quesenberry; two children, Cindy (John) Pittman, Kilmarnock, Va., and Sara (David) Arseneau, Goshen, Ohio; and two grandchildren, Ben (Melanie) Pittman, Rocky Mount, Va., and Taylor Arseneau, Goshen.

Friends will be received at the residence. Graveside services will be held Monday, Dec. 15, 2008, at Glenwood Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pleasant View United Methodist Church. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family by visiting www.BlevinsCares.com.

Blevins Funeral and Cremation Services, 417 Lee St., Bristol, Va., is serving the family of Mr. Quesenberry.

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