My older brother died on
Saturday after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He finally won the war
and is resting in peace and joy in his Heavenly Father’s arms.
Donald was two-years-old
when I was born. He was one of the few constants in my childhood as our
minister father moved us from one church to another and even from one country
to another. Growing up, we lived in Shelby, Michigan; Elmira, Illinois;
LaPrairie, Illinois; Amman, Jordan; DeTour Village, Michigan; Edinburgh,
Scotland; DeTour Village, Michigan, again; Lake City, Michigan; and
Schoolcraft, Michigan. Actually, Donald started college when we moved to Lake
City and doesn’t have much of a history there, but he lived with my parents at
Schoolcraft while earning his master’s degree.
Donald was a typical Page
in many ways. Aside from being a committed Christian and having a strong work
ethic, he also exhibited the other two dominant Page traits: a belief in higher
education and a love for travel.
On the education front,
Donald received a master’s degree from Western Michigan University and a PhD
from the University of Michigan. His degrees were in communication, with an
emphasis on television and film production. Between college and his master’s
degree, he worked for a television station in Lansing, Michigan as a cameraman.
After receiving his PhD, Donald
took a teaching job in the Department of Communications at Tennessee State
University in Nashville, Tennessee. He told me at the time that he planned to
teach for five years and then he’d try something different—perhaps producing
documentary films—for the next five. He expected to change positions every five
years or so because he wanted to be challenged and to keep learning.
Fast-forward to 2017, when
Donald celebrated forty years on the TSU staff. When I reminded him of his
five-year plan, he laughed and said there was always something new to learn right
where he was. I’m sure he would have taught for many more years if his Parkinson’s
hadn’t forced him to retire in 2018.
Already widely traveled,
Donald’s biggest regret near the end was that he wouldn’t get to visit some of
the other places on his list. His final trip was to Japan in March with my
brother Gordon and nephew Ian. Donald’s Parkinson’s created complications on
that trip, but he was glad he had done it.
Shortly after Donald’s
return, he fell and ended up in the hospital and eventually in a nursing home. He
went downhill quickly after the fall, and I’m grateful for his final relief
from pain and from the helplessness that he experienced these last few months.
Although I will miss
Donald, I’m happy for him.
Death is swallowed up in
victory. Halleluiah!
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