Don Lee Marcum August 9, 1928 - November 16, 2014

Born August 9, 1928, risen peacefully, surrounded by family, on November 16, 2014.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, to Josephine and Elbert Marcum, he grew up in the Hazel Park area with his parents, brother Raymond and three sisters Carrie, Patsy, and Ruth.

Don graduated from Hazel Park High School in 1946. He received his master's in theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1957. He was also ordained as a minister at that time.

Don met the love of his life, Cora May Stearns, while attending Gordon-Conwell. They were married June 2, 1951.

August of 1957 Don and Cora moved to Costa Rica, where they served as missionaries for the Latin American Mission for five years. The First Baptist Church of Hazel Park, Michigan, sponsored them. Don was an administrator and high school teacher for Colegio Monterrey in San Jose. Don also ministered to churches in San Jose. Don's only modes of transportation were a motorbike and walking.

Upon returning to the States, Don and his family lived in Florida, Philadelphia, back to Florida, then settled in Winfield, Illinois, where they lived for the following 40 years.

Along with teaching secondary school, ministering to churches in the States, Don studied estate planning and finance where he received his CLU, was certified in many areas of estate planning and financial counseling.

He was a Life Member of the Million Dollar Round Table, a Registered Representative with N.A.S.D., and a Charitable Development Officer with National Foundation, Inc.

Don and Cora moved to Sisters in June of 2003 to be closer to family. While in Oregon, Don and Cora had the opportunity to be involved with additional members of his growing family including grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He also made many dear friends in their lovely community.

Don enjoyed fishing everywhere he traveled. He had wonderful times fishing as a boy in Michigan, in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and around the United States. He most enjoyed fishing with his father in Florida for freshwater bass. Don played baseball, softball, basketball, and competed in racquetball tournaments. He loved watching a good sports game. Don enjoyed hiking, camping, and his vegetable garden. He often supplied the neighborhood with his beautiful beefsteak tomatoes.

Don loved to play cards, work on jigsaw puzzles, study, read, tinker on cars, work with wood - he crafted and finished many beautiful furniture pieces. In the late 1960s, when efficient solar cell energy was being discussed, Don built his own solar panels that provided hot water and many other benefits for his home. Don also had a passion for scientific and political news.

Most of all, Don loved his Heavenly Father and his family. He was a devoted and compassionate man. Don loved to be with family, to play with and read to his grandchildren, and take long, leisurely evening strolls with his wife and dog.

Don's living family includes his wife, Cora; their three children, Corinne Pray and her husband Donald of Sisters, David Marcum and his wife Kathy of Starkville, Mississippi, Sandra Adams and her husband John of Franklin Grove, Illinois. Grandchildren are Shawn Pray and his wife Robbie, Chere Pray, Nikki Jensen and her husband Jason, Brett Pray, Anna Marcum, Mariel Marcum, Amber Singer, Jennifer Topping and her husband Steve, and Samantha Singer. Great-grandchildren are Darian, Sadee, and Alyssa Pray, Charlee Pray, Brody Brown, Colton Jensen, and William Topping. Don's sisters, Carrie Martin and her husband Ralph, Patsy Marcum, and Ruth Petracca and her husband Ray, all living in Florida.

Don is now celebrating in heaven with his parents, Josephine and Elbert Marcum, his brother and sister-in-law Raymond and Priscilla Marcum.