Donald Elvin Breeding

Donald Elvin Breeding was born on October 5, 1947, to Troyce M. and Edith A. Breeding in Lamesa, Texas, and passed away on August 26, 2024, in Hallsville, Texas, in a boating accident with his identical twin brother Ronald. 

Don’s childhood was full of adventure. He and his brother spent their days shining shoes, rallying the neighborhood boys to swim in the stock tanks, and playing war with his brother and friends using their mother's tampons as hand grenades while they yelled, “Hit the dirt.” As a teenager, his interests included boxing, riding motorcycles, and chasing a shy girl named Frances, who quickly became his wife and who he cherished for 60 years. Together, they raised three beautiful and talented girls: Radonna, Dana, and Jennifer. 

His life journey led him on hitchhiking adventures to California, Alaska, and throughout Texas. He was an accomplished welder and fabricator, but he soon learned that the oilfield was his home. After successfully leading multiple oil well servicing companies, he started his own servicing business in 1985. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to successfully start and lead three more companies in the oilfield and eventually become the Vice President of one of the world's largest oil well servicing companies in Midland, Texas. 

 In 2002, he and his wife, Frances, moved to East Texas, where he continued his oil well servicing work until he retired…three times. He truly loved his work and was exceptional at leadership, building work relationships, and earning the respect of so many he worked with and who worked for him. He loved mentoring, teaching, and supporting those he worked with in the industry. He often shared ideas, advice, and encouragement; many have recently shared how he has impacted their lives and careers.

Don was a loving husband and father who cherished time with his family. His spontaneous spirit led him to build a pontoon boat named “Baby Don,” a Harley-Davidson with ape hangers, and take his family on surprise adventures. Together, they traveled across the country, pulling their travel trailer on adventure after adventure.  He loved music, racing cars, fishing, water skiing, arm wrestling, shooting pool, guns, and craps, playing dominoes, horseshoes, and corn hole, and was a fantastic two-stepper. And while some may think they were tall tales, it’s true that he shot coyotes from a plane his brother was piloting, blew up “the wall” with Molotov cocktails made from M-80 firecrackers in Lamesa, Texas, with his friend and brother-in-law Eddie Dickenson, and transformed into a werewolf one Halloween by gluing hair from wigs all over his body so he could scare all of the neighborhood kids. He was a prankster and loved the reactions he got from his victims!

In his later years, he enjoyed mowing his property with his tractor and tinkering with his 1963 Thunderbird and 1952 Studebaker pickup. 

He will forever be remembered as a uniquely talented man. Memories of his smirking smile, silent chuckle, and death grip love pinches will forever be remembered and loved by all who knew him. He was larger than life and had never met a stranger!

Don is survived by his wife, France Breeding; their children, Radonna (Paul) Dunlap, Dana Tucker, and Jennifer Aguilar; his grandchildren: Reed (Audrey) Quinn, Savannah (Nathan) Davis, Milo Tucker, Hayden (Brandy) Quinn, Isabelle (Blake) Lorino, Davis Tucker, Noah Aguilar, Chloe Aguilar, Nevaeh Tucker.; His Great Grandchildren: Peyton Rhodes, Harper Quinn, Chandler Templeton, Preston Quinn, Colt Quinn, Paxton Quinn, Sagen Templeton, Teagan Templeton, Palmer Davis, Cash Quinn, Parker Davis, Schaefer Templeton, Cooper Quinn, Matthew Quinn, Murphy Quinn. Sister Judy (Ronnie) Watson.

A visitation will be held Saturday, August 31, 2024 from 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM at Croley Funeral Home in Diana. A funeral service will be held Sunday, September 1, 2024 at Woodland Hills Baptist Church in Longview starting at 2:00 PM.