Donald Wilson Caldwell

Donald Wilson Caldwell, 91, of Columbia, passed away peacefully on May 11, 2023, at home surrounded by his loving family.

Don was born on September 22, 1931, at Boone County Hospital to the late James and Mary (Crews) Caldwell.  On September 7, 1957, he married Deane Rae Powell in Columbia at Calvary Baptist Church.  Don was a long-time active member of Calvary Baptist Church, which is now Calvary Heritage Baptist Church.

He attended Columbia schools and graduated from Hickman High School.  He had many jobs from a young age including a paper route, detasseling corn, working on a road crew patching potholes on US-40 before it became I-70, and working as a dishwasher.  He also raised rabbits to sell.  He studied Accounting at the University of Missouri and in his senior year he was drafted into the army.  He first went to Fort Riley, Kansas and then on to Colorado and Alaska.  Once he was discharged in 1954, he returned to the University and completed his bachelor’s degree in Accounting.

After graduation, he worked for the Department of Insurance with the State of Missouri and then for the University of Missouri until 1963 when he joined the firm of Williams, Keepers, Oliver, Payne and Rackers.  He sat for his CPA exam in 1966 and passed it on his first attempt.  He was a partner in the firm until 1988 but continued to have a home practice for clients up until his death.  He also served as county auditor for Boone County from 1969-1977. 

Don was a member of the Cosmopolitan Club and also served as Deacon and Treasurer at Calvary Baptist Church for decades.  His personal interests were in organic gardening, energy conservation, and beekeeping.  He and his wife built a passive solar, super-insulated house in 1984 where he enjoyed taking care of a garden and his beehives for many years.  He had great pleasure in his grandchildren and great grandchildren and often had baby chicks or ducklings for them to learn to care for in the spring.  He enjoyed traveling with his grandchildren to many places in the United States, and also took an annual trip to Lake of the Ozarks every summer with children and grandchildren.

He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather and left a powerful legacy to those that knew him well. 

Don is survived by his wife of 65 years, Deane; his daughter, Lynne Hass (Tave) of Allendale, Michigan and two sons, Craig and Scott (Angie), both of Columbia; sister, Ruth Ann Blase (Bill) of Farmington, Missouri;  seven grandchildren, Amber (Cory), Melina, Amanda, Dalton (Olivia), Alexander, Abby (Luke) and Courtney; five great grandchildren, Aiden, Lilliann, Mira, Vivianna and a granddaughter that is due this month.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Mary Lee Brewster; and a brother-in-law and sister-in-law Dale and Betty Powell.

Don’s funeral service will be on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at 12:00 PM, at Calvary Heritage Baptist Church, 1703 W. Worley St., Columbia.  Family will receive friends from 10:00 AM until time for the service at the Church.  The burial will follow the service at Columbia Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Calvary Heritage Baptist Church - Building Fund or Samaritan’s Purse, c/o Bach-Yager Funeral Chapel, 1610 N. Garth Ave., Columbia, MO 65202.

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