Donald Bryant “Donnie” Wooten

January 29, 2018

Donald Bryant “ Donnie” Wooten, 90, of Bainbridge, Ga., passed away Monday, January 29, 2018.

The funeral service was held at 11 a.m. on Friday, February 2, 2018, at Climax Baptist Church with Rev. Steve Poppell and Rev. Steve Brooks officiating.  Interment followed at Prosperity Cemetery with Andrew Avery, Jr., Luke Bell, Maston Bell, Kerry Dean, Gary Wooten , Tommy Wooten  and Tom Dean serving as active pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers were the Adult Men’s Sunday School Class, Climax Baptist Deacons and Men of Climax Baptist Church .

The family will receive friends from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 1, 2018. at Ivey Funeral Home. Online visitors may sign the guest register at www.iveyfuneral.com. Memorial donations may be made to: Climax Baptist Church, P. O. Box 37, Climax, GA 39834 or Prosperity Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, C/O Dot Morris, 369 Martin Road, Bainbridge, GA 39817.

Donnie was born April 28, 1927, in Mitchell County, Ga., the son of William Elisha Wooten and Lula Mae Commander Wooten. He attended school in Hopeful, Ga. and proudly served his country in the United States Army.  He taught Sunday School, served as a Deacon and was active in the Adult Men’s Sunday School class at Climax Baptist Church for many Years. Mr. Wooten worked as a fertilizer salesman in Albany for several years before moving to Newton to become assistant manager of Pineland Plantation. He later moved to Decatur County where he erected and was a partner in Dean Brothers (now Dollar Brothers) in Mt. Pleasant. Later he established and was a partner in Decatur Farm Center, Climax, Georgia. His last business was Wooten Cleaning Service, which he operated until he retired.

Donnie accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior when he was 18 years old. He was a devout Christian whose life exemplified this in his love of the Lord and devotion to his wife and family. He was a quiet, humble man whose love for people was very obvious. As a businessman, he had a reputation for being hardworking, dependable and trustworthy. He enjoyed watching old western movies, rodeos and wrestling.

Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Virginia Dean Wooten of Bainbridge; his son, Donald Wayne Wooten and his wife,  Lorena; his daughters, Sharon Wendling and her husband, Steve, and Deana Switzer and her husband, Greg; his sister-in-law, Vera Wooten; his grandchildren, James and Missy Wendling, Shanna Wendling, Cindy Mikulich, Blair and Lee Ethridge, Mildred and George Uribes, Stephanie Uribes, Jenna Switzer and Eric Switzer; his great grandchildren, Noah Jensen, Tessa Mikulich, Katie Wendling, Greyson Wendling,  Caden Wendling, Seth Wendling, Braxton Ethridge and Brynlee Ethridge. Donnie was preceded in death by his parents; his siblings, Velva Martin, Lucille Avery, Willie Mae Bell, Myra Wooten, Watson Wooten, Winston Wooten, and Willard Wooten; and several nephews and a niece.

The Wooten Family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Cochran and the Staff at Memorial Manor II for their kindness and compassion.