Donald Hugh Piper was born Sept. 14, 1930, and rode the Happy Trail on Aug. 28, 2016. He had been married to his high school sweetheart, Patricia Garner Piper, for more than 66 years.
After graduation from Lee High School in Jacksonville, he began work with Southern Bell in 1949. His first job in Fernandina Beach was to roll a wheelbarrow that was stocked with telephones that had dials down Centre Street and change out the telephones that didn’t have dials. He went on to become a lineman and installer before transferring to Jacksonville to work in PBX repair. He rose to PBX repair foreman, then ended his career in 1985 as PBX repair instructor.
Although he struggled to pass English in order to graduate high school, his last task with BellSouth was to write technical manuals on PBX installation and repair. Shortly after retiring from BellSouth, he founded Coastal Telephone Systems and continued to install and service telecom equipment. He finally retired in 1990, ending a 41-year career in the telecom industry. Coastal Telephone Systems/Coastal-tel.com continued to service the Nassau County community for 20 more years.
As a young man, Don enjoyed racing boats in the Amelia River, seining for fish in the ocean with his Southern Bell and Florida Public Utilities friends, hunting, camping and fishing the creeks off-island for panfish. He loved to ride his registered Cracker horse in Fort White, where his property abutted River Rise State Park, and won prizes for the endurance rides and being the oldest rider. He was also a volunteer at the area state parks.
He was a member of the Fernandina Beach Optimist Club, a Mason for more than 50 years with Amelia Lodge 47, Fernandina Beach Baptist Church, Yulee Baptist Church and First Baptist Church High Springs.
Predeceasing him were his parents, Lawrence Milton and Rozelle Douglas Piper.
He is survived by his daughters, Kathy Piper of Fernandina Beach and Cynthia Piper Evers of Fort White; a son, Lawrence (Carol) Piper of Jacksonville; a sister, Carol Baldwin of Auburndale; five grandkids; eight great-grandkids; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins; and many, many friends.
A memorial service is scheduled at Evans Carter Funeral Home Chapel on Saturday, Sept. 3, at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to Haven Hospice, Chiefland Branch, or Ayers Health & Rehabilitation Center, Trenton, Fla.
Arrangements are under the care of Evans Carter Funeral Home, 18724 N. Main St., High Springs, FL 32643, (386) 454-2444.
Evans Carter Funeral Home