Don William Vanzant

Don William Vanzant, 83, entered into Heaven on the evening of January 14, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Don grew up in the quaint countryside of Wewoka, Oklahoma. When he wasn't at school, he spent time assisting his father, an oil field worker, with "checking the wells" that his father was in charge of, which were located down a dirt road just beside his family home.
After graduating from high school, Don studied petroleum engineering, and also served in the U.S. Navy for two years. His experience in the navy gave him many interesting stories to tell, such as the time that his ship was caught in a big storm with no land in sight. No matter the topic, Don told his naval stories with a great sense of pride. He was honored to have served his country.
In January of 1972, Don married his teenage sweetheart, Guinnlyn, with whom he had two daughters. He provided by working nights at Tinker Airforce Base, where he assembled airplane parts. Don was dedicated to ensuring that his girls obtained good educations, and were also able to participate in extracurricular activities such as dance, piano, drama, choir, sports, and band. Don took his family to the Oklahoma State Fair every single September. The family also enjoyed trips to Lake Thunderbird to swim and to picnic. Don's favorite hobby was buying and selling antique glass, such as milk glass, American Brilliant Cut Crystal, and Fenton glass, just to name a few. He also obtained many china cabinets for display. Don's other hobbies included attending auctions and rock [polishing/tumbling]. Spontaneous family get-togethers often occurred at the Vanzant house, even when it wasn't a Holiday, so Don set up a round table in the den, where friends and family could gather at to play all sorts of games, from Poker to Dominoes, to Risk, to Scrabble. He also never turned down the chance for a one on one of Chess or Backgammon.
Cousins have said that a fond memory of "visiting Uncle Don's house" is when he'd set up his bulky 1980s Apple computer and let them enjoy hours of playing PC games like King's Quest and Zork. After his time at Tinker Airforce Base, Don earned his CDL and began driving a milk-truck for the company Farm Fresh, a job which he kept for many years. On his work road trips, he listened to bands and musicians like Don McLean, Roy Orbison, Neil Diamond,and Supertramp, just to name a few.
Don very much enjoyed being grandpa to his five grandchildren. One of his fondest memories is when each grandchild, at toddler age, would crawl up into his lap and "pickpocket" the ink pen, memo pad, and handkerchief that he always kept tucked in his shirt pocket. Simple little "grandpa joys" like these always brought out a smile and a chuckle from Don, even as he would tell the stories years later. The grandkids remember, with fondness, grandpa Don's bellowing Santa Claus laugh. A secret hobby of Don's was that he wrote poems and songs! He did not start sharing his works, which were made up of several notebooks, until around 2022. Turns out he was quite the lyricist.
Recently, one of the most important things in Don's life was his new walk with Christ, which began about five months ago. After he accepted Christ into his heart, he would tell anyone within earshot about it. For Don's close loved ones, there has been no greater gift than to see the glow on his face after Jesus entered his heart.
Don was preceeded in death by his mother, Earlie Mae (Bertrand) Vanzant, father, Nathaniel Hawthorne Vanzant, sister, Linda Mae Vanzant, Uncle Bert and Aunt Molly Bertrand, and close cousin, Jerry Vanzant.

Don is survived by his steadfast loved one, Guinnlyn Shaddon, and by his daughter Janice Kay Balliet and son-in-law Stephan Balliet, daughter Cascadia Eve Joon and son-in-law Joonyoung Choi, grandson Dakota Vanzant and his wife Carmen, grandson Corbin Michael Austin and his wife Kaitlyn, grandson Matthew Parker Austin and his wife Jessica Rodgers, granddaughter Darby, and grandson Nathaniel, along with many other extended family and friends.
In leiu of flowers, please consider planting a tree or donating to a small church somewhere, as Don often donated to smaller churches. [Funeral/service] information is still pending, and if a service is set, it will be posted here at a later date.