National Senior Games

Don was an avid golfer, achieving a hole-in-one on the eighth hole at Duck Creek.

At the age of 40, he started running and later was encouraged by his neighbor to participate in the Senior Olympics.

Those left to honor his memory are his daughter and son-in-law, Kim and Mel Bush of Oshkosh, and grandchildren Chris and Dr. Jenny, and a special friend, Tilly Savala of Davenport.

In addition to his wife, Fran, Don was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Ken Childs.

fine happy early birthday man a 77 that's amazing way to go

yeah but well um my fun thing is um I did my senior Olympics.

It's always in September here in Straw Plains.

The whole state has to come to Straw Plains, so I got home court advantage.

Um, that's what I would add.

And it seems logical, but we were studying, um, the, the Senior Olympics, which is Olympics for people over 50.

Mm-hmm.

We found, not surprisingly, that the jumping sports like volleyball, basketball, because of the impact, maintained bones better-

Potentially bring more sports tourism into Texarkana.

I know somebody, a buddy of mine, hi- his girl just, uh, qualified for, like, the, oh, s- Dadgum it, I hate to say it in front of you with you looking at me like that, but the Senior Olympics I think [laughs] is what it is.

[laughs] Uh, uh, but anyway, it's one of those things that can sound like a lot of government words out there around those, those courts, but it's not.

It's just people all coming together to make something happen.

Louise Nottage.

She would go into the Senior Olympics and compete in 10 different events and win gold medals and set records in every single one.

And she was killed in a car accident.

But these are some of the people I've worked with.