Wednesday, May 1, 2002

Always on the move

By JANET McGREGOR
snippets@hotmail.com

Don Ethier walks quietly thought life and is known for being a gentle person. However, the path he leaves in his wake is large.

You may have seen him at a charity walk, directing volunteers. You may have seen him at church, greeting visitors. You might have bought a treat from him at one of the Kiwanis local fundraisers. Chances are you've seen him somewhere.

The 75-year old has lived in Peachtree City since 1986. He hit the ground running, joining the Lions Club. When the Lions Club dissolved, he joined the Peachtree City Kiwanis Club. For the past 12 years, he has been an active very active member.

The Club helps with parking at the annual Kiwanis County Fair, serves up food at the Air Show, hosts a golf tournament, feeds the multitudes at its annual Pancake Breakfast and helps throughout the community in other ways. Ethier's smiling face and quiet energy are a presence at each and every event.

Mick McGuire, past president of the Kiwanis, is a fan of Ethier's. "He works tirelessly. He handles all the transportation requirements, golf carts, etc., for our big airshow in September," said McGuire. "He has been our main person for the Kiwanis participation in Walk America. He schedules everything checkpoint manning, food, cooking, supplies, set-up/teardown, and attends all the meetings. He's there early he stays late."

For most, the Kiwanis would be enough to keep them busy. Don is not like most. He has served as the operations chair for the past ten years for the March of Dimes Walk. He will be serving as operations chair for the third year in October's Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk.

Ethier is also active very active in his church, Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran. Ethier was the 1994 Lutheran Minister Volunteer of the Year.

Volunteering is more than a way of life for Ethier, it is part of his core value system. "I believe it gives some value to life," he said. "I have nothing against playing games [like golf]. However, if it's the only thing, it's not for me." With a 10-handicap, Ethier is a pretty good golfer in his own estimation.

According to Peachtree City Mayor Pro-Tem Annie McMenamin, Don is a quiet, gentle man who operates at wide-open volume. "Don't give Don a job to do unless you want it done with great care and diligence," she said. "He has assisted the city when called upon and was the first recipient of Peachtree City's Citizen Recognition Award.

"He is so active in the community it is difficult to keep up with his many projects," she continued. "He is an asset to our city. I am pleased to have worked with Don on several projects and am proud to call him my friend."

Friend and fellow Kiwanian Jim Price speaks highly of Ethier. "Don is one of the most sincere, conscientious and dedicated people I have ever met," he said. "He has contributed more to Peachtree City than any one person I know through his involvement with the Kiwanis Club and special events such as Walk America. He personifies volunteerism."

Don's woodworking skills are often employed during his volunteer activities. He worked with the now defunct theater group that was housed in the Aberdeen Shopping Center. Someone asked for help and Don was there. He painted and built sets for the group and served on the board. He converted a stairwell and a ramp to accommodate a handicapped choir member at his church.

Until his arthritis got bad, he carved wood, too. Although medication has helped the arthritis, wood carving has continued to be put on hold.

Just in case the list of activities for Ethier wasn't long enough, he also helps a friend on his Christmas tree farm in Soperton every few weeks.

In his "spare" time, Ethier likes to hunt. In fact, if you want to see him light up, ask him about his last hunting trip.

True to form, Ethier manages to do more than most when he hunts - he gives much of what he shoots away to those living near his hunting grounds. One year he shot 17 hogs and gave all of them away. He hunts turkey, deer, quail, doves and, as mentioned, hogs.

He says he used to go to Canada and Minnesota to hunt, but "I'm 75 now, it's too cold. It thins your blood living down here."

Ethier and his wife, June, are from Minnesota, although the pair didn't meet in their home state. They met in California while Ethier was serving in the Navy.

After graduating from school in Minneapolis, he joined the Navy and spent two years in the South Pacific during World War II serving as a signalman. He met June at a dance in Long Beach, Calif. He was dancing with a young lady who, when she found out Don's home state, told him two of her friends were from the same area. She introduced him to June and, as soon as the war ended, the couple married.

The man with the big heart has had his share of tragedy. His father died as a result of injuries received during World War I when Don was 13, leaving his mother to raise him and his brother. The two boys spent much of their time on their aunt and uncles farm in Bertha, Minn. Ethier's brother died at the age of 45 from injuries received during World War II. Earlier this year, Ethier lost his youngest son, Mark.

The Ethiers' son Kirk lives in Alexandria, Minn. Kirk has one son, William, age 19. The Ethiers' other son, Stephen, and his wife, Patty, live in Chicago.

Ethier's work brought him to Peachtree City. After his service in the Navy, he worked a number of jobs before settling in with the mail service. He worked with the railway mail service, sorting mail and riding the trains. "I always loved the outdoors, had no interest in working in an office," he said.

Unfortunately, his boss had a different idea about office work. Ethier was asked by his boss if he'd like to work in an office. He said, "I'll think about it." His boss took that as a yes, and when Don got back from a short vacation, he had an office.

The new job took him up the ladder and across the country. He worked as a manager of logistics, a postmaster and district manager at different times, moving to Kansas City, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma and ultimately to Atlanta.

He lived in a hotel for the first three months of his Atlanta stay and quickly decided that sitting in traffic on a Sunday afternoon was not something he wanted to do. He and June looked around and settled on Peachtree City, Ethier would not be happy with the idea of "settling" on Peachtree City. "We couldn't find a better place to live," he said.

Although he loves Fayette County, Ethier still loves his home state of Minnesota. However, when asked by friends why he did not move back there, he said, "I never found a reason to." He hesitated for a moment and added, "Well, except I don't care for shoveling snow."

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