Don Ethier

walks quietly thought life and is known for being a gentle person. However,

the path he leaves in his wake is large.

You may have

seen him at a charity walk, directing volunteers. You may have seen him

at church, greeting visitors. You might have bought a treat from him at

one of the Kiwanis local fundraisers. Chances are you've seen him somewhere.

The 75-year

old has lived in Peachtree City since 1986. He hit the ground running,

joining the Lions Club. When the Lions Club dissolved, he joined the Peachtree

City Kiwanis Club. For the past 12 years, he has been an active very active

member.

The Club helps

with parking at the annual Kiwanis County Fair, serves up food at the

Air Show, hosts a golf tournament, feeds the multitudes at its annual

Pancake Breakfast and helps throughout the community in other ways. Ethier's

smiling face and quiet energy are a presence at each and every event.

Mick McGuire,

past president of the Kiwanis, is a fan of Ethier's. "He works tirelessly.

He handles all the transportation requirements, golf carts, etc., for

our big airshow in September," said McGuire. "He has been our

main person for the Kiwanis participation in Walk America. He schedules

everything checkpoint manning, food, cooking, supplies, set-up/teardown,

and attends all the meetings. He's there early he stays late."

For most, the

Kiwanis would be enough to keep them busy. Don is not like most. He has

served as the operations chair for the past ten years for the March of

Dimes Walk. He will be serving as operations chair for the third year

in October's Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk.

Ethier is also

active very active in his church, Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran. Ethier

was the 1994 Lutheran Minister Volunteer of the Year.

Volunteering

is more than a way of life for Ethier, it is part of his core value system.

"I believe it gives some value to life," he said. "I have

nothing against playing games [like golf]. However, if it's the only thing,

it's not for me." With a 10-handicap, Ethier is a pretty good golfer

in his own estimation.

According to

Peachtree City Mayor Pro-Tem Annie McMenamin, Don is a quiet, gentle man

who operates at wide-open volume. "Don't give Don a job to do unless

you want it done with great care and diligence," she said. "He

has assisted the city when called upon and was the first recipient of

Peachtree City's Citizen Recognition Award.

"He is

so active in the community it is difficult to keep up with his many projects,"

she continued. "He is an asset to our city. I am pleased to have

worked with Don on several projects and am proud to call him my friend."

Friend and

fellow Kiwanian Jim Price speaks highly of Ethier. "Don is one of

the most sincere, conscientious and dedicated people I have ever met,"

he said. "He has contributed more to Peachtree City than any one

person I know through his involvement with the Kiwanis Club and special

events such as Walk America. He personifies volunteerism."

Don's woodworking

skills are often employed during his volunteer activities. He worked with

the now defunct theater group that was housed in the Aberdeen Shopping

Center. Someone asked for help and Don was there. He painted and built

sets for the group and served on the board. He converted a stairwell and

a ramp to accommodate a handicapped choir member at his church.

Until his arthritis

got bad, he carved wood, too. Although medication has helped the arthritis,

wood carving has continued to be put on hold.

Just in case

the list of activities for Ethier wasn't long enough, he also helps a

friend on his Christmas tree farm in Soperton every few weeks.

In his "spare"

time, Ethier likes to hunt. In fact, if you want to see him light up,

ask him about his last hunting trip.

True to form,

Ethier manages to do more than most when he hunts - he gives much of what

he shoots away to those living near his hunting grounds. One year he shot

17 hogs and gave all of them away. He hunts turkey, deer, quail, doves

and, as mentioned, hogs.

He says he

used to go to Canada and Minnesota to hunt, but "I'm 75 now, it's

too cold. It thins your blood living down here."

Ethier and

his wife, June, are from Minnesota, although the pair didn't meet in their

home state. They met in California while Ethier was serving in the Navy.

After graduating

from school in Minneapolis, he joined the Navy and spent two years in

the South Pacific during World War II serving as a signalman. He met June

at a dance in Long Beach, Calif. He was dancing with a young lady who,

when she found out Don's home state, told him two of her friends were

from the same area. She introduced him to June and, as soon as the war

ended, the couple married.

The man with

the big heart has had his share of tragedy. His father died as a result

of injuries received during World War I when Don was 13, leaving his mother

to raise him and his brother. The two boys spent much of their time on

their aunt and uncles farm in Bertha, Minn. Ethier's brother died at the

age of 45 from injuries received during World War II. Earlier this year,

Ethier lost his youngest son, Mark.

The Ethiers'

son Kirk lives in Alexandria, Minn. Kirk has one son, William, age 19.

The Ethiers' other son, Stephen, and his wife, Patty, live in Chicago.

Ethier's work

brought him to Peachtree City. After his service in the Navy, he worked

a number of jobs before settling in with the mail service. He worked with

the railway mail service, sorting mail and riding the trains. "I

always loved the outdoors, had no interest in working in an office,"

he said.

Unfortunately,

his boss had a different idea about office work. Ethier was asked by his

boss if he'd like to work in an office. He said, "I'll think about

it." His boss took that as a yes, and when Don got back from a short

vacation, he had an office.

The new job

took him up the ladder and across the country. He worked as a manager

of logistics, a postmaster and district manager at different times, moving

to Kansas City, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma and ultimately to Atlanta.

He lived in

a hotel for the first three months of his Atlanta stay and quickly decided

that sitting in traffic on a Sunday afternoon was not something he wanted

to do. He and June looked around and settled on Peachtree City, Ethier

would not be happy with the idea of "settling" on Peachtree

City. "We couldn't find a better place to live," he said.

Although he

loves Fayette County, Ethier still loves his home state of Minnesota.

However, when asked by friends why he did not move back there, he said,

"I never found a reason to." He hesitated for a moment and added,

"Well, except I don't care for shoveling snow."

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