Extracted from The Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX)
Thursday, July 22, 2010

Don Dearl Ezell

Don Dearl Ezell, 88, passed away Saturday, July 17, 2010, in Fort Worth after a brief illness.

Funeral: 11:30 a.m. Saturday, July 24, in Greenwood Funeral Home Chapel.

Interment: Greenwood Memorial Park.

Visitation: 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Greenwood Funeral Home.

Memorials: Memorial donations may be made to TCU Frog Club for the Ezell Scholarship Fund, mailed to Davis Babb, care of TCU Athletic Department, TCU Box 297620, Fort Worth, Texas 76129. Please make checks payable to Ezell Scholarship. Retired U.S. Marine Corps Col.

Don Dearl Ezell was born April 27, 1922, in Jena, La., to Pearl and Jeff Ezell. It was his mother, Pearl, and stepfather, Hobart Little, who gave him core values such as putting family first in life. This could not be better exemplified than by the close and lifelong relationships of his brothers, Jeff and Beekie, and his twin, Dee Ezell.

A standout athlete in football and track and field at Wink High School in Texas, he helped lead his teams to several district championships. After graduating in 1939, Don was offered a scholarship and played alongside Dee at TCU in 1941 and 1942, where he was shone in the halfback/running back positions. His fondest memory of playing TCU football was scoring the game-winning fourth-quarter touchdown against a vaunted UCLA team in the Rose Bowl in 1942. The next year, though, Don elected to sign up and fight with the Marines, where he was instilled with a great sense of honor. He quickly rose through the ranks in the military after fighting in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, ending his career with an assignment at the Pentagon. He received 27 battle decorations and seven battle stars, including the Purple Heart.

After enlisting in the Marines, he married Jean Melton of Fort Worth, in Quantico, Va. Jean and Don had a precious little girl, Donna Jean, who tragically died at the age of 5 in an automobile accident. Don spent a few years coaching high school football in Childress where he affected many lives. Later he received his master's degree and taught military history at Duke University. After losing his wife, Jean, in 1969, Col. Ezell went on to marry Betty Thomas in 1975. His remaining years were spent in Fort Worth enjoying TCU athletics.

Don was a lifetime member of Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, First Marine Division Association, Military Officers Association of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart VFW, Quinq Club, TCU Frog Club and the TCU Letterman's Association. He was also a member of the Disciples of Christ Church.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Beekie and Dee Ezell; wife, Jean; daughter, Donna; and stepgrandson, Ty Thomas.

Survivors: Brother, Jeff Ezell; nieces, Candy Rust, Dee Fanelli and Lisa Ezell; nephew, Jefferson Don Ezell; stepsons, Roy Thomas and Dan Thomas and wife, Cindy; other loved ones, including Betty Ezell, Janine Valentine, Casey and Greg Roby, Ericka Sammon, Ross Thomas, Ron, Erik and Justin Rust, Jeff, Tyler Don and Ryan Mangus, Ty, Clay Don, and Kristin Warren; and several great-grandchildren, great-nieces and great-nephews.