Donald Bryant Conway

Donald married Barbara Jane Pruden in June 1960 in Bertie County, NC. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Obituary is from Hogg Funeral Home & Crematory (Hayes, Va.) website, posted August 22, 2023: Early Sunday morning, August 20, 2023, Donald Bryant Conway, 86, went home to be with his Lord. Donald Conway's boyhood roots were in Greenville, North Carolina, where he met the love of his life and wife of over 60 years, Barbara Pruden. Shortly after they married, Don was drafted into the US Army and they moved to Tacoma, Washington, where Don was stationed at Fort Lewis for two years. Life moved quickly for Don and Barbara as they made a life on the west coast. They joined a church, began a family, and bought their first home. In 1972, following Don's graduation from the University of Puget Sound, the family moved to Virginia where he began a 30-year career in drug and alcohol counseling with TRADOC at Fort Monroe. The bedrock of Don's life was his love for Barbara, Christ, and his four children, for whom he set an unwavering example of commitment, loyalty, and integrity. Over the years, Don and Barbara were active members of several churches, but following retirement, they settled in Gloucester, Virginia, and joined Providence Baptist Church where Don served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher for over 20 years. Don loved vacationing with his family on the Outer Banks of North Carolina every summer, bringing together his children and their families, a tradition lasting more than 40 years. As time flew by, the cottages got bigger to accommodate a growing number of spouses, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. As a couple, Don and Barbara traveled extensively, a passion they shared—Don was outgoing and loved people, making friends wherever they went. He loved singing in church, westerns, books by Louis L'amour, traditional country music, studying scripture, and observing the wonder of the changing seasons with Barbara from their front porch in Harcum. He was a strong Christian husband and father, a helper, a leader, a good listener, and a bit of a dreamer who brought out the best in people. His children never once heard him swear though his patience was sorely tested whenever he had to put together a bicycle! More than anything else, his love for Barbara will endure forever, and his family will never forget its unparalleled beauty, depth, and grace. Don's legacy is a life well and fully lived while shining a light for others to follow. When he strode through the heavenly gates into that brilliant light, there is no doubt he heard these words of welcome: "Well done, thy good and faithful servant." The family would like to express their deep gratitude for the Riverside Walter Reed hospice team, who tended to Don's medical needs with extraordinary compassion, kindness, and cheerfulness. They made his world a better place, and he was extremely appreciative of the daily care they provided. Don is preceded in death by his father, Kervin Conway; his mother Jessie Conway; his sister Sylvia Conway; and his brother Robert Conway, all of Greenville, NC. He is survived by his wife, Barbara P. Conway; his daughter, Terri C. Burruss (Lewis H. "Bucky" Burruss) of Hayes; his daughter, Anna M. Cochran (Scott Cochran) of Lanexa; his son, Daniel B. Conway of Columbia, MD; his son, Andrew B. Conway (Heather Conway) of Hampton; his grandson, Benjamin P. Haynie (Sibille Haynie) of Virginia Beach; his granddaughter, Lauryn Tomlinson (Ryan Tomlinson) of Quinton; and great-grandchildren Oliver and Leon Haynie. The funeral service officiated by Pastor Nathan Varnadore, will be held Thursday, August 24, 2023, at 11:30 am in Providence Baptist Church, 3501 Providence Road, Hayes, Virginia 23072. The interment will be private.