Obituary: Avery, Donald L.

AVERY, Donald L. SMSGT (USAF Ret) Donald Lawrence Avery, age 76, passed away peacefully on November 25, 2013, with his wife Nancy, his children and grand- children by his side.

He was born December 4, 1936 in Watertown, NY.

Donald was a 35 year resident of Spokane.

He proudly served in the U.S. Air Force for 24 years.

Achieving the rank of SMSGT, serving in Korea and Vietnam; from July 1954 retiring in September 1978.

He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.

Donald was a member of the Eagles.

He enjoyed cooking along with being a master gardener.

He was also a member of the singing group the “4 Singing Sargents.”

He is survived by his wife, Nancy; son, Wayne (Jody) Avery of Spokane; daughter, Rose (Nelson) Tharp of Gilbert, WA; son, Steve Avery of Seattle, WA; stepdaughter Lisa (Jon) Spanjer of Cashmere, WA, stepson Jay (Julie) Warling of Portland, OR; five grandchildren, many nieces, nephews and friends.

A graveside service will be held on Thursday, December 12th, at 1:30p.m.

at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery, 21702 W. Espanola Road, Medical Lake, WA, 99022.