Obituary for Donald R. Bankhead
Donald R. Bankhead, 85, was born on April 10, 1935, in Yokum, Texas, and died on May 30, 2020, in Hendersonville, North Carolina. He and his wife, Marjorie, served as missionaries in India for four and a half decades.
Don attended Gem State Academy and Walla Walla College (now University). During his college years, a nursing student named Marjorie Lange caught his eye. However, in 1956 Don was drafted into the United States Army, where he spent two years as a medic. When his service concluded, Don and Marjorie were married.
In 1960 they welcomed their first son, Kent, into the world. Shortly thereafter, Don and Marjorie were called to be missionaries to India. While in India they welcomed two more sons, Mickey and Richard.
Don and Marjorie labored in India for the next 45 years. During these years Don held numerous positions: secondary school principal; publishing house foreman; vice president of Spicer Memorial College; board chair for Adventist Health Care in India; president of the Sri Lanka Union; and loving father, husband, and grandfather.
After Don retired, he still felt called to serve, so he worked as a chaplain at Advent Health in Hendersonville, North Carolina, for six years. During this time, Don and Marjorie welcomed their adopted daughter, Michelle, into the family.
He then accepted the call to be high school principal at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in the Philippines. While working there, he was instrumental in helping the high school obtain accreditation from the Philippine government. After returning to the States, he served as a volunteer chaplain for Adventist Health Hendersonville. In 2017 he responded to a call and served as a stipend pastor in Jasper, Georgia, for two years.
Don passed to his rest surrounded by his beloved family. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie; sons, Kent (Sue), Mickey (Cindy), and Richard (Marci); daughter, Michelle (Paul); grandchildren, Megan, Caitlin, Mark, Bruce, Bryan, Olivia, and Nathan; great-grandchildren, Amber, Caden, and Cael.
A funeral service will be held on Wednesday June 3, 2020 at 10:00am Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hendersonville, NC.
Don attended Gem State Academy and Walla Walla College (now University). During his college years, a nursing student named Marjorie Lange caught his eye. However, in 1956 Don was drafted into the United States Army, where he spent two years as a medic. When his service concluded, Don and Marjorie were married.
In 1960 they welcomed their first son, Kent, into the world. Shortly thereafter, Don and Marjorie were called to be missionaries to India. While in India they welcomed two more sons, Mickey and Richard.
Don and Marjorie labored in India for the next 45 years. During these years Don held numerous positions: secondary school principal; publishing house foreman; vice president of Spicer Memorial College; board chair for Adventist Health Care in India; president of the Sri Lanka Union; and loving father, husband, and grandfather.
After Don retired, he still felt called to serve, so he worked as a chaplain at Advent Health in Hendersonville, North Carolina, for six years. During this time, Don and Marjorie welcomed their adopted daughter, Michelle, into the family.
He then accepted the call to be high school principal at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in the Philippines. While working there, he was instrumental in helping the high school obtain accreditation from the Philippine government. After returning to the States, he served as a volunteer chaplain for Adventist Health Hendersonville. In 2017 he responded to a call and served as a stipend pastor in Jasper, Georgia, for two years.
Don passed to his rest surrounded by his beloved family. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie; sons, Kent (Sue), Mickey (Cindy), and Richard (Marci); daughter, Michelle (Paul); grandchildren, Megan, Caitlin, Mark, Bruce, Bryan, Olivia, and Nathan; great-grandchildren, Amber, Caden, and Cael.
A funeral service will be held on Wednesday June 3, 2020 at 10:00am Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hendersonville, NC.