Donald Karlin

1946 - 2016

Donald Karlin, 69, passed away peacefully at his home on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, following a long battle with health issues. He is a former mechanic and shop foreman of Smoak Webb Chevrolet for more than 20 years and a master mechanic for Desert Sports and Four Corners Harley Davidson for 17 years. Donald was also a skilled and talented custom knife craftsman for Karlin Knives and a member of the Knife Makers Guild. He was also a member of the local Hog chapter for 25 years.
Donald was preceded in death by his mother, Margaret Karlin. He is survived by his loving wife of 24 years, Corky Karlin. He is also survived by his father, Fred Karlin; stepmother, Leona Karlin; his brother, Bobby and Janice Karlin and children of Texas; sister, Betty and Johnny Cole and two children of New Mexico; son, Mike and Tiffany Karlin and granddaughter Cheyenne of Aztec, Craig and Lisa Karlin of Colorado Springs, Colo., and grandchildren Ian, Jack, and Andrew; daughter, Joy and Kenneth Clarke of Aztec and grandchildren Andrew, Danyal and Ben and great-grandchildren, Nick and Liam Clarke; other children, Scott and Carrie Ackerson and grandchildren Cierra, Colton and Chase of Kentucky, and Buffy and Chris Garrett and granddaughter Sunny of Kentucky.
Donald attended Aztec High School, graduating with the class of 1964. Donald was a loving husband, father and friend to a large number of people in the local community. His uncanny ability to troubleshoot and repair anything mechanical, especially Harley Davidson motorcycles, will lead the community to sorely miss him and his extensive knowledge. His special gift to design and fabricate custom knives has been lost forever. Donald was an intricate and long-standing member of this community, and will be sadly missed. A casual memorial service will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 in the Angel Peak conference room at the TownePlace Suites, at the Marriott, 4200 Sierra Vista Drive in Farmington.
No flowers please, however donations to the Four Corners Community Bank, under the Don Karlin Medical Fund, can be made to offset medical expenses, or a donation to the Don Karlin Memorial Fund for Farmington Police Department Motor Division at gofundme/dkarlinmemorial.
Don's care is entrusted to Alternative Choice Burial and Cremation, 804 N. Dustin Ave. in Farmington, 505-325-9611. Those who wish to express their condolences may do so at serenityandcompany.com.