Rev. Don Battle

     Rev. Donald Maxwell Battle, 81, of Sun City, SC passed away February 8, 2024. Don was born on July 15, 1942, to Rev. Daniel and Frances Battle in Kalamazoo, MI, where he was raised.

     First and foremost, Rev. Don loved studying God’s Word, preaching and teaching, and serving the Lord. He also loved worshipping and praising God. In 1958, he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. He has served as Adult Sunday School Teacher, Interim Pastor, Minister of Christian Education and Associate Pastor. In 2008, he accepted the call to preach the Gospel and was Ordained in March of 2008 at First Christian Church of Brock Hall in Largo, MD. Don was married to Shelley and cherished their  marriage of  nearly 42 years. During that time, they served faithfully in various capacities in various churches.

     In 1962, he joined the United States Air Force  for four years obtaining an extensive background in Cryptology and Electronics, then he accepted a job with the RCA Missile Test Project and served on various tracking ships. He was a member of the Apollo 11 Mission Team with the Goddard Space Flight Center, putting the first man on the moon, and worked with other Apollo missions.

    Having an  electronics background, Don enjoyed electronic equipment and assembling stereo equipment and computers. He enjoyed all kinds of music especially Christian and jazz, he played the trumpet, and was in a marching band. He also loved model trains and had an extensive set that he built.

     Other pastimes that brought pleasure to Don were coffee and donuts first thing in the morning,  grilling on his Big Green Egg, eating  hotdogs and Shelley’s potato salad (or just eating in general), muscle cars, watching football, and making people laugh. He also loved the beach and spending time with Shelley at their timeshare at Marriott’s Grande Ocean on Hilton Head Island, and travelling , especially when he could drive. Being a news and weather buff came in handy when planning to stay at the beach or travel.

     Don  valued his African American heritage and  loved his mom and dad, and all his family (his relatives and Shelley’s). Including  his  beloved “Smokie,” as well as his childhood dogs.

     Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Shelley Battle, step mother, Shirley Hatton, brother-in-law, Eric Hatton (Elissa), sister-in-law, Tracey Hatton, uncle, Kenneth Wilson, cousins, nieces, three great nieces, one nephew, one great nephew, and his two best friends, Marv Thompson (Michigan), and Skip Abbitt (Texas), as well as many other loving relatives and friends.

     A Celebration of Life  will be held at 5:00 pm on Sunday,  March 3, 2024 at Okatee Baptist Church, 5467 N. Okatie Hwy., Ridgeland, SC.

Live streaming available on Youtube then search Okatee Baptist Church.

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