Donald Edwin Shockley Sr

Donald Edwin Shockley Sr., born August 29, 1941, in Elkhart, Iowa, to Tommy and Mary Shockley, passed away on March 7, 2026.

Most of his childhood was spent in Iowa with his grandparents and his brother Jimmy. In his early teens, he moved to California with his parents, Mary and Joseph Shockley, and his siblings Leroy, Jimmy, David, Mary Jo, Julia, and Beverly. He attended Tulare Union High School before enlisting in the Navy in 1958.

Don married Dixie Killman in 1959, and together they had Tammy, Joe, and Beki. It was during this time that he began driving 18-wheelers, a passion he carried with him throughout his life. In 1976, he married Francis Pruitt, who brought Janice, Marvin (Bubba), Sandra, and Donnie Jr. into his family. The following year, he met and married the love of his life, Linda Lou Walton-Pritchard. Kevin became one of his children, and their daughter Trinity was born in 1977.

Don loved the open road and the freedom of truck driving, logging more than a million miles over his career. With a gypsy heart and a cowboy soul, he traveled mostly westward, sharing his faith in Jesus and his deep love for the United States with everyone he met. He lived by a simple code: a man’s word was his bond, a handshake sealed the deal, one should stand tall in the face of adversity, and elders deserved respect.

He was preceded in death by his wife Linda, his son Joe, his parents Mary and Joseph Shockley and Tommy, his sisters Pauline, Gladys, and Mary Jo, his brothers Leroy, Charlie, Jimmy, and David, and his granddaughter Dixie Rose.

Don is survived by his children Tammy, Beki, Kevin, Donnie, and Trinity, his sisters Julia and Beverly, and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.