Donald Lee Hubbard's Obituary
Donald Lee Hubbard was born March 19, 1947 in the old Indian Hospital in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He walked on from this earth on August 2, 2019 at the age of 72. Don is survived by his mother, Cherokee Hubbard Denwalt of Stilwell; his wife Gale Hubbard of Cleveland; four sisters, Colleen and Roger Beaver of Checotah, Rene and Derreld Jennings of Stilwell, Sue and Eddie Molloy of Tahlequah and Kathie Morris of Proctor; his four daughters, Cindy and Keith Rozell of Broken Arrow, Julie Hubbard of Tahlequah, Whitney and Brody McKay of Collinsville and Dakota Hubbard of Terlton. Don also leaves behind six grandchildren, several nieces and nephews and many beloved friends. Don grew up modestly in the tight-knit community of Stilwell. As an infant, he slept with the balls of fist so tight he was nicknamed “Hardtack.” Don was always a doer. Growing up his chore was to draw water from the well, so he learned to be quick. He was self-sufficient, driving by the age of 12 and charismatic enough that there wasn’t a weekend that he didn’t have friends camped out in the yard. He was also carefree. Told not to let the horses out, he’d climb on and race them down the lane instead. At 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He loved their dress uniform. He left for boot camp in San Diego, followed by Camp LeJeune, N.C., where he was trained in the 0351 weapons platoon of machine guns, bazookas and mortars. In June 1966, his unit was ordered to Vietnam. He served with the Alpha Company 1st Battalion 9th Marines, nicknamed “The Walking Dead” for sustaining the highest casualty rate in Marine Corps history. During his 13-month tour, he was injured in an ambush pulling fallen Marines and only two in his squad survived. Later, he would sustain another injury hitting a trip wire and blowing up a tunnel and sent to a naval hospital in the Philippines and then Okinawa, Japan. From there he served in the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines in which he was hit by a rocket missile in an ambush. He then returned to San Diego as a rifle and pistol instructor until receiving an honorable discharge in July 1968. Don, a Staff Sergeant E–6, earned three purple hearts, a Presidential Unit Citation from President Nixon, a Vietnam Campaign Ribbon, a National Defense Ribbon and two Good Conduct Medals. He returned to Oklahoma where from 1968-70 studied art at Bacone College, under artist Dick West and alongside some of the most well-known Native artists. He joined the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in 1972, where he worked the Keystone Lake Cimarron Turnpike for two decades before retiring in 1994. Don could tell jokes and tall tales for hours, collected watches, pocket knives and guns. When in good health, he loved to ride motorcycles, spend time at the VFW and was a Freemason. Don was a proud Vietnam Veteran, Marine, Retired Trooper, Cherokee Nation citizen, and husband, father and grandfather. Visitation will be 4-6 pm, Thursday, August 8, 2019 at Floral Haven Funeral Home. Funeral Service will be 10:00 AM, Friday, August 9, 2019 at Floral Haven Funeral Home. Burial will be at Ft. Gibson National Cemetery.In Lieu of flowers Memorial Donations can be made to John 3:16 mission in Tulsa.
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