Don Lewis Gay died peacefully on June 27, at The Springs retirement community in Missoula, Montana.

Born in Lindsay, Oklahoma, on April 2, 1953, he grew up on his parents’ farm northeast of Lindsay. He attended public schools in Lindsay and worked on the family farm and in his parent’s agribusiness, the Gay Seed Company, from an early age, and attended the rural Payne Baptist Church. He graduated from Lindsay High School in 1971, after which he continued his education at Oklahoma State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Economics in 1975.

After college, Don returned to Lindsay and settled on a farm east of Lindsay, where he and his wife Judy raised their three children. He was active in community affairs as a member of the Kiwanis Club and served on the board of Lindsay Public Schools, and was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Lindsay. He also worked for the United States Department of Agriculture as a Soil Science Technician.

Two years before retirement, he settled in Elk City, Oklahoma, where, after retirement, he enjoyed long walks in the countryside, country swing dancing, pickleball, bird-watching, amateur photography, and star-gazing. He continued a lifelong interest in reading history, geography, and current events, as well as long road trips with his son and daughters. During this time, he rescued a stray dog named him Zeke, who became a constant and faithful companion throughout Don’s final years.

After several years in Elk City, Don made his final move to assisted living in Missoula, Montana.

In all the places where he lived, he was known and will be remembered for his honesty, his sense of humor, his intelligence, his love of family, and his kindness to friends and strangers.

A celebration of his life will be held at First Baptist Church of Lindsay early in autumn, with exact date to be announced. Memorial donations may be directed to the Betty Gay and Joe Gay Scholarship Fund at Oklahoma State University, and to Camp Endres, a program for kids and teens with type 1 diabetes.

He was preceded in death by his parents Betty Gay and Joe Gay of Lindsay, and his wife Judy Gay of Lindsay. He is survived by his daughter Morgan Swanson, daughter-in-law Laura Swanson, and granddaughters Hannah Swanson and Olivia Swanson, all of Cheshire, Connecticut; his son Chase Gay of Missoula; his daughter Madison Gay of Santa Teresa, New Mexico; his brother Tom Gay and sister-in-law Jeanene Gay of Houston, Texas; his sister Nancy Gay of Missoula; his brother Wayne Gay of Arlington, Texas; and his faithful friend and dog Zeke (described by Don as “the last dog in the alphabet”) of Ovanda, Montana.