Don R. Fink Remembered: Pam Austin Remembers

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Pam Austin Remembers

"I was proud of Dad for taking care of Mom even though his health was failing. He kept his promise to take care of her, and I respected him for that.

"At the time of their marriage, he was a press operator. Throughout most of his life, he worked hard manual labor. He worked at Ford Motor Company. He worked for Day and Night heating and air conditioning. He worked many years in maintenance. He received a certificate from Texarkana College for Industrial Electricity. At times he worked two jobs so his wife could take care of the kids.

"Dad took art lessons and did very well at it. Some of his fondest memories were when he worked at Red Lick School. He loved art so much he volunteered his time to the students at Red Lick so they could learn the basics. He enjoyed it so much he did several classes and in return he received hundreds of thank you cards from the students.

"He loved to tell stories of his children and grandchildren. He had a sense of humor that got him through many tough times."

~Pamela Austin, daughter

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In Memoriam

Texarkana, Tex. – Don R. Fink, 81, of Texarkana, Tex., died of natural causes at Dubuis Hospital on Friday, August 22, 2008.

Mr. Fink was born on Feb. 16, 1927 in Mount Hope, West Virginia .

In 1933, Mr. Fink’s mother began regularly attending the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and took her three children with her to services every week. Mr. Fink attended these meetings throughout the remainder of his life and could frequently be found ministering to others from house to house.

After graduating high school, Mr. Fink attended the University of Akron and received a bachelor of fine arts degree.

At 21, Mr. Fink attended a dance where he met the Frieda Mae Ullrich. “It was love at first sight,” Mr. Fink said often. The couple wed a week later on Feb. 16, 1949 in Catlettsburg, Kentucky and remained married for 58 years. Together they raised eight children.

Throughout his life, Mr. Fink was an industrious worker and oftentimes worked two jobs to support his large family. During the early years of his marriage, he worked as a press operator for Ford Motor Company in Cleveland, Ohio. Later, he worked as a maintenance employee for Day and Night Heating and Air in California. At the same time, he also operated a landscaping business with his two eldest sons, Michael and Patrick.

Mr. and Mrs. Fink moved their family to Texarkana, Ark. in 1974. Later, the couple became managers of the historic Hotel Grim.

Despite years of working manual labor, however, Mr. Fink always returned to his art. In the twilight of his life, he volunteered his time at Red Lick School, teaching students basic art. “He enjoyed it so much, he taught several classes and in return he received hundreds of thank you cards from the students,” said his daughter, Pamela Austin.

“He had a sense of humor that got him through many tough times,” Mrs. Austin said. Mr. Fink’s granddaughter, Jaime Hurley, recounted the way he seemed to have a joke for every occasion, even when he was in the hospital at the very end of his life. “He made people laugh up until the end,” she said.

Mr. Fink was preceded in death by his parents, Homer Fink and Wreathel Champe Fink; his wife, Frieda Mae Fink; two sons, Dennis Fink and Michael Fink; one daughter, Dianna Pillow; and one granddaughter, Dianna Ray Pillow.

Survivors include two sons, Patrick Fink of Texarkana, Ark., and David Fink of Ethridge, Tenn., three daughters, Deborah Fisher of Jacksonville, Ark., Pamela Austin of Texarkana, Tex., and Rachael Jones of Maineville, Ohio, one sister, Barbara Christall of Glendale, Ariz.; 15 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and a number of other relatives.

Services will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Nash, Texas with Dexter Hughes officiating.

Relatives will be at the home of Pamela and James Austin, 9101 N. Kings Hwy., Texarkana, Tex., 75503.