Donald "Donnie" Lynn Lankford

DONALD LYNN LANKFORD (1935 – 2023)

Donald “Donnie” Lynn Lankford, 88, of Amarillo, passed away Thursday, November 23, 2023, on Thanksgiving Day, surrounded by his loving family.

The family will receive guests at Schooler Funeral Home, 4100 S Georgia, on Tuesday,  November 28, 2023, from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm.  A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, at 1:00 pm at Llano Cemetery.  Please enter the 34th Street entrance of Llano and follow the red with white stripe flags to the graveside location.  A memorial service will follow at 2:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church, 1100 S. Harrison.

Don was born July 24, 1935, in Martha, Oklahoma, to William Otis and Katie (Read} Lankford. He graduated from Altus Senior High School in 1954, working at Peter Kiewit and Steelman Construction Companies during the summer. In 1965, Don served in the Army National Guard of Oklahoma and was honorably discharged as a reserve. Don attended Oklahoma A&M, now known as Oklahoma State University (OSU) in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on a basketball scholarship. After A&M, he accepted a position with The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as an Engineering Technician at the Altus Resident Office.  During his 34 years with the Corps, he held positions as lead surveyor for the Altus Ballistic Missile sites, Inspector at the Keystone Dam, and Office Engineer at Fort Sill Resident Office in the Albuquerque, Fort Worth, and Tulsa Districts. In 1982, when the Corps of Engineers opened the Pantex Resident Office, Don accepted and held the Construction Manager, QA position in Amarillo, Texas, until his retirement in 1990.   Don then started his second career with Mason Hanger BWXT Contractor for the Pantex Department of Energy as a construction manager, a position he continued until his retirement in 2006. Then, Don returned to the Corps of Engineers as an independent contractor at the Pantex Plant and remained there until 2013. Don felt very fortunate to be with the Corps for 34 years and Pantex for 32 years, a working career spanning 66 years where he received many Commendations, Awards, and Certificates of Achievement.

Donald Lankford and Catheryne Serrurier were married on October 7, 1993, blending their families together. Don’s daughter Bren and husband John Curtis Jackson; granddaughter Jamie Linn and husband Layne Chapman; and great-grandchildren Jaxon and Prestyn. Catheryne’s daughter Shannon and sons Brent and Jeremy Serrurier.  Grandsons Quinn and Zane Sandel and father, Scott Sandel. Cathey’s sisters, the Morris girls, Sheri Hanson, Cary McDaniel, Claudia Ryan, and Bridget Gibson, and cousin Craig and wife Anita and family.

Don and Cathey were world travelers, memorably flying on the Concorde to watch the Wimbledon Championship tennis match; the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China; spending time in Salzburg with their Austrian family; and going to their property on the Pacific Ocean in Troncones, Mexico meeting with friends who gathered every year at Hacienda Eden for 30 years.

Donnie was a diehard Okie, a county music lover, a gun collector, a golfer and an avid OU fan who tried never to miss a game of the Women’s softball or the Men’s football teams. Go Boomer Sooners!

Donnie was a beautiful and honorable man who loved all of us dearly and will be deeply missed by his wife, Cathey; his children, nieces, and nephews; and his many colleagues and friends. We love you, Donnie.  Good night, sweet prince.