Donald (Don) Wayne Wooldridge, 78, of Mesa, AZ, passed away peacefully on May 29, 2022. He was born on January 5, 1944, in Davenport, Iowa, to the late Robert and Thelma (Sones) Wooldridge. Don graduated from West High School in Davenport and Southwest Texas State College in San Marcos. He worked for John Deere, Clark Equipment, and Desert Mountain Golf Club.
Don married Patricia (Pat) Rogers in Kalamazoo, MI, on November 29, 1986, and they moved to Arizona in 1991. He enjoyed watching NASCAR races, playing cribbage, completing crossword puzzles, and taking walks. He authored several books, including The Secrets of Clayton County fiction trilogy and an autobiography. He attended Las Palmas Chapel in Mesa.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Pat, his son Randy (Tina) Wooldridge, his daughter-in-law Laurie (Knittle) Wooldridge, his stepson Doug Rogers, his stepdaughter Julie (Bryan) Ed, twelve grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Also surviving are his sisters Connie (Greg) Duffield and Barbara Pealstrom. He is preceded in death by his son Scott Wooldridge.
A funeral service will be held in Augusta, MI, at Fort Custer National Cemetery on Wednesday, June 8 at 3 p.m. There will be a celebration of life ceremony at Las Palmas in Mesa, AZ in July.
Memorial gifts can be sent to Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan’s Purse at this link: https://sampur.se/3GG3TUJ or to Friends of Israel by sending a check to The Friends of Israel, PO Box 908, Bellmawr, NJ 08099 and including a note stating that it is a Memorial Gift in honor of Don Wooldridge.