Donald Franklin Walden
January 13, 1935 – February 18, 2025
Funeral services for Donald Franklin Walden, 90, of Cairo, GA, are at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, February 22, 2025, at Tired Creek Primitive Baptist Church, Whigham, GA. Elder Jon Mizell and Elder Thad Marshall will officiate. Military Honors will be presented in the church. Interment will be in the Godwin Cemetery. Mr. Walden passed away Tuesday evening, February 18, 2025.
Active pallbearers will be Jonathan Long, Thomas Long, Andrew Long, Will Walden, Mike Gainous, Tyler Lee, Vic Lee and Russell Collins.
Honorary pallbearers will be Craig Jones, Don Jones, Michael Scarbrough and Terry Whigham; Breakfast Club Members, Richard Bell, Terry Delisle, Phillip Drew, Jimmy Hammett, Ronald Sellars, Ricky Singletary; and Walden Logging Employees, Glenn Faircloth, Ronnie Frazier, Gary Harrison, Justin Harrison, Dequavius James, Timothy James, Gary Mitchell, Craig Myles, William Powell, John Sharpe and Charles Wolfe.
Mr. Walden was born on January 13, 1935, in Cairo, GA, to the late Thomas Alton Walden and Irene Ulmer Walden. Donald graduated from Cairo High School in 1953 and served his country in the United States Navy on board the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Donald was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. On December 27, 1960, he married Peggy Whitfield Walden, who recently preceded him in death on January 16, 2025. They enjoyed a beautiful sixty-four years of marriage. He was a faithful member of Tired Creek Primitive Baptist Church. Donald enjoyed his farm, tending his cows and spending time with his four grandsons.
Donald was a pioneer in the logging industry with his career spanning over seventy years. He began working with his brother Gwin in the 1950s when axes, crosscut saws and power saws were used to cut trees and skid bars were used to load timber onto flat trucks for delivery to the sawmill. Donald started his own business in 1970 and has developed a reputation in South Georgia for his stewardship and efficient work in the region’s majestic pine forests. Donald’s son Tracy took over the business in 2000, but Donald remained in the woods until he was 89 years old. Over the years, he witnessed the modernization of the logging industry with sophisticated machinery such as the bunchers, skidders, delimbers and loaders. Donald truly enjoyed his long career with amazing coworkers, local landowners and the beauty of nature.
Survivors include: his children, Patti Long (John) and Tracy Walden (Janet); grandchildren, Jonathan Long, Thomas Long (Shannon), Andrew Long and Will Walden; sisters-in-laws, Laura Whitfield and Marcella Walden Akridge; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife and his brother, Gwin Walden.
The family would like to express gratitude to his devoted caregivers, Ruth Cox, Shirley Hopkins, Gail Wooten; and a helpful neighbor, Dennis Darsey.
Memorials may be made in Mr. Walden’s memory to: Godwin Cemetery, c/o Tracy Walden, 1765 Providence Road, Whigham, GA 39897; or Tired Creek Primitive Baptist Church, c/o Amy Fowler, 2528 Tired Creek Road, Whigham, GA 39897.
The family will receive friends at the graveside following the interment service.
