Donald Bruce Deweese's Obituary
Donald Bruce Deweese, an institution in the Fayetteville community, passed away on August 23, 2024, at the age of 84. Born on July 2, 1940, in Berryville, Arkansas to Lucille Katherine Deweese and J Bruce Deweese, Don brought a dash of zest to every occasion and lived life to the fullest.
Don is survived by his son and daughter, Jonathan Bentley Deweese and Mary Katherine Brink; his daughter-in-law, Kristen Kimsey Deweese, and son-in-law, Taco Alexander Brink; his granddaughter, Miles Kimsey Deweese, and grandson, Hendrik Holden Brink; his brother, Thomas Herbert Deweese; and his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Catherine Cheyne Deweese, Camille Talburt, Carolyn and James Anderson, and Robert Thurlby, along with countless extended family, friends, and caregivers who joined and supported his adventures and joie de vivre in his last years. He was preceded in death by his wife, Martha Kay Deweese.
The Deweese family had been settled in the Carroll County area since the 1830s, but when Don was four, Bruce and Lucille relocated with Don from Berryville to Fayetteville for a new job in Northwest Arkansas. Don’s affection for Fayetteville began immediately and continued to grow and evolve into a life of active community participation and service that spanned decades.
Don attended the Fayetteville Public Schools from grades one through twelve, graduating from Fayetteville High School as an honor graduate in the class of 1958. He received a BA in History from the University of Arkansas, where he also began dating his future wife, Marty, and began his teaching career at Hillcrest Junior High School in 1962. In 1969, Don was one of only twenty teachers in the U.S. awarded a full scholarship for a master’s degree in library science, which he received from the University of Tennessee in 1970. After obtaining his degree in Knoxville, Don and Marty returned to Fayetteville, moving into their new home, which remained Don’s home for the rest of his life.
His professional career was committed to the Fayetteville Public Schools, where he began work as the head librarian at Fayetteville High School and later became Director of Libraries and Media Services for the Fayetteville Public School District. A consummate administrator, Don’s leadership and vision helped librarians and teachers enrich their curriculums and classroom instruction. He introduced the philosophy that the library should be the center of the school, and under his guidance, libraries were transformed from no-talking zones to hubs for student projects. Explorations of ideas, possibilities, and interests were encouraged. With Don in charge, no detail was ever overlooked. He made sure that teachers and students had what they needed when they needed it. Don retired in 1999 after 34 years of dedicated service to the Fayetteville Public Schools.
Don’s passion for placing libraries at the center of education drove his active involvement at the state and national level in both the Arkansas and American Library Associations. He won several awards from the Arkansas Library Association, including the Distinguished Service Award (1984), the Retta Patrick Award (1992), and the Frances P. Neal Award (1999) and served as the Arkansas representative to the Council of the American Library Association.
Don was a board member of the Washington County Historical Society for many years, a longtime member of the WCHS Book Store committee, and a skilled ice cream scooper during many a sweltering Ice Cream Social. He played a leading role on the Marty Thurlby Deweese Study Abroad Scholarship Fund, which supports travel abroad for students and teachers in the Fayetteville Public Schools and was established in honor and memory of Don’s late wife, Marty.
Don was also a gifted pianist who supported the arts and whose passion was classical music. He seldom missed a performance of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas and regularly visited Jonathan and Kristen in Fort Worth to attend the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition held there every four years. Don loved musicals and the theatre and was an ardent supporter of both the Walton Arts Center and TheatreSquared, rarely missing an opening night. Indeed, Don spent one of his last evenings enjoying a performance of Hamilton at the Walton Arts Center surrounded by friends.
Don was a true celebrator of life. He loved a good event and often created his own occasion, if needed, to host a party. He was at his best when organizing, planning, plotting, hosting, and holding court. He was a gracious host who welcomed people into his distinctive home with good food, beautiful music, lively conversations, and booming laughter.
Don loved to travel and made many overseas trips, first with his wife Marty and her high school French students, and later during retirement to visit Mary Katherine and Taco in London and Switzerland with trips in Europe and South America.
Don was a loyal friend who knew the value of delivering a well-timed word of encouragement, congratulations, or thanks. His friendships were vast, spanning generations and continents. His handwritten personal notes were memorable both for their sincerity and his penmanship. Don's handwriting was as distinctive as medieval calligraphy: once you'd seen it, you would always recognize it. Don was a storyteller with a flair for the dramatic and a forthright man who spoke his mind. If he thought someone needed an attitude adjustment, Don would deliver it succinctly and memorably. His wit was legendary as was his love of a good martini.
In 2005, when Don was inducted into the Fayetteville Public Schools’ Hall of Honor, his pride was immense. His commitment to the schools and the community ran deep, and this recognition was a testament to his dedication. Don’s greatest pride, however, was his children Mary Katherine and Jonathan. No father cherished his children more or reveled more in their accomplishments. He considered them his greatest legacy.
Please join us for his Memorial Service at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, October 21, 2024, at Central United Methodist Church, where friends and loved ones will gather for Don’s final celebration, followed by a brief graveside service at Evergreen Cemetery and a reception at Don’s home. Memorial donations may be made to the Marty Thurlby Deweese Study Abroad Scholarship Fund. www.fayedfoundation.org/programs/scholarships/.
To sign the online guestbook please visit www.bernafuneralhomes.com
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