Donald F. Neavitt

Donald F. Neavitt, 89, formerly of Atchison, Kansas, died Saturday, October 6, 2018.

Memorial services will be Friday, October 19, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at the Atchison United Methodist Church with Rev. Nancy J Kollhoff officiating. Interment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be October 19 ^th , from 1:00 p.m. until service time at the church. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Atchison United Methodist Church or the Boy Scouts of America- Pony Express Council. Arensberg-Pruett Funeral Home has been entrusted with final care.

Donald was born August 14, 1929, to Frank A. and Jennie (Owens) Neavitt in Atchison, Kansas. He attended schools in Atchison, graduating from Atchison High School in 1947. As a teenager he worked for Tappan Grocery, Federal Bakery, YMCA and Snowden Mize Drug. He attended a business college in Kansas City, then moving to Grand Junction, CO, where he worked for a drugstore before returning to Atchison; he worked a short while for Pillsbury Feeds and then worked for Western Union Telegraph for 31 years. During those years he worked in Springfield MO, Atchison, Hannibal, MO, Craig CO, Independence, KS, Sikeston, MO, Dolores, CO, Kansas City, MO, Dallas, TX, Baton Rouge, LA, San Francisco, CA, Belleville, IL, New York City, NY, and retired in 1979 in Kansas City, Missouri

On July 4, 1952 he married Betty LaVerne Shirley in Stillwater, Oklahoma. They had three sons, Gary (Debbie), Jeffrey (Chris) and Mark (Lisa). Additionally surviving include twelve grandchildren, eleven great grandchildren and one on the way, one great-great grandchild and two sisters, Sr. Jeanine Neavitt, OSB, Beverly Ann Ramsburg.

After retirement he and his family returned to Atchison where he was involved in insurance and real estate sales, manage a tax business, worked for the Chamber of Commerce as Tourism Assistant and later as a trolley driver (historic tours).

Don was involved in scouting in many capacities over 50 plus years out of the last 60. He watched his three sons, four grandkids and one great grandchild participate in the program. He participated in scouting in nine different councils, received the Arrowhead Honor, Silver Beaver Award, Sunflower Award and the Cross and Flame Award. He was a member of Woodbadge, Order of the Arrow in New Jersey and Kansas City, and the tribe of Mic-O-Say in St. Joseph where he was a Chieftain in the tribe.

In addition to Scouting, Don was a Rotarian in Dolores, Colorado and later in Atchison, where he served in several capacities including President and was awarded the Paul Harris fellow award. He was a member of the Bruton Conner Lodge AF&AM in Dallas, TX, and later Washington Lodge in Atchison. He was secretary of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association in Belleville, IL, on the Board of Directors of the American Society for Training and Development in Kansas City, Toast Masters International, Atchison, as Treasurer and President. Other involvement included Board of Directors of the Atchison United Way and the American Red Cross and the Amelia Earhart Advisory Committee.

He was a member of the Atchison United Methodist Church and served in many ways as chair of the Administrative Council, chair of the finance committee, President Methodist Men, lay leader and district lay leader, lay member annual conference, member of the district council on ministries, certified lay speaker, historian and church treasurer.

His life was full of a numerous experiences, but the most important was that of his sharing with his wife and family.