Don Chavez

Don Chavez August 7, 1936 - January 24, 2016 Donaciano “Don” Chavez of Waco passed away Sunday, January 24, 2016, at Providence Hospice Place. Memorial Services with Full Military Honors will be 12:00 p.m. Friday, January 29, at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, Texas. Don was born August 7, 1936, in Belen, New Mexico, to Pablo and Bernadita Chavez. Don had a distinguished military career and retired after twenty-three years of service as Master Sergeant in the Army. His primary specialty was Intelligence Analyst, and as a war veteran, served as an interrogator and interpreter during the Vietnam War. He was multilingual and spoke four languages-English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Cambodian/Khmer. During his service, he was a highly decorated soldier and received ten service medals including the Bronze Star. While in the military, he also focused his attention to making a life for himself outside of the service to his country, and put himself through college utilizing benefits of the GI Bill. He received his Bachelors of Administration from Mary Hardin Baylor and his Masters of Science in Education from University of Southern California. He began a second career in education and retired from the Waco ISD, where he held positions as both a teacher and administrator. Although this was his second career, it was his most cherished and the one for which he had the most passion. He loved the opportunity to impact the hearts and minds of his students through education, especially through his teaching of history and government. He was an avid reader and writer. He was contributing editor to the Waco Tribune Herald and had many published writings on education. He also loved all things politics! Don was a member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Waco. He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Marliese Chavez; daughter, Pat Mason and husband, Chuck, of Malakoff, Texas; son, Raymond Chavez and wife, Marci, of Hurst, Texas; two grandsons, Aaron and Dustin Mason; five sisters; and a brother. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Wounded Warrior Project, www.woundedwarriorproject.org. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our “Memorial Guestbook” at www.WHBfamily.com.