Don Stuart Etheridge

Don S. Etheridge, Age 63 of Nashville transitioned from this earthly life to eternal life on Sunday, June 28, 2015.

Born in Manhattan, NY to Mary Baines Etheridge and the late Floyd C. Etheridge, Don spent most of his life in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended the Metropolitan Nashville public schools. After graduating from Hume-Fogg High School, he went to Tennessee State University where he graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. He was a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

After graduation, Don worked as an air traffic controller in Gainesville, Florida. It is said that he was the first African-American air traffic controller in that airport. In addition to his fulltime job, he started a greeting card business, a custodial service company, and was a tireless civil rights activist in the Gainesville community. After leaving the FAA for a stress-related disability, Don returned to Nashville, but also traveled to Jamaica and Africa where he earned the title Oba (King) Don. A small African village adopted him as a native son and he used the title “Oba Don” for many years.

In his later years Mr. Etheridge devoted much of his spare time to his unique art work and also enjoyed landscaping work. The body of his colorful and creative art work includes several hundred items. Initially he favored Pan African colors, but later expanded his collection to all of the colors in the rainbow. Don was a collector of reggae music and a lifelong fan of Bob Marley and other prominent reggae artists.

Don was a proud member of the Etheridge family and did all that he could to learn more about and his family tree. Don was a great communicator and consistently reached out to his aunts, uncles, and cousins, in Washington, DC and New York, maintaining a constant flow of calls and cards. It is especially for this outreach that he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Most importantly, Don knew the Lord and read his Bible on a daily basis. He often shared his limited funds with others less fortunate and was generous to his family and friends. He especially treasured his African Heritage Bible, carrying it with him whenever he traveled.

Don is survived by his devoted mother, Mary B. Etheridge; siblings, Anthony Etheridge (Anita), Reginald Etheridge, and Marilyn Etheridge Gross; niece, Alisha Etheridge; nephews, Antonio Etheridge, Cameron Etheridge, and Theodore Gross; beloved aunts, Alva, Carolyn, and Mintie Etheridge; uncle, Wiley C. Baines, Jr. (Dorothy); and a host of other relatives and friends.

Visitation Monday, July 6, 2015 from 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., with Memorial Service to follow at 7:00pm., Highland Hills Chapel, 2422 Brick Church Pike, Nashville, TN