Donald Warren Gilchrest

Donald Warren Gilchrest Donald Warren Gilchrest (Sr.), of Bristow, Virginia, passed away on January 25, 2023, at the age of 91 at Prince William County Hospital. He was born March 19, 1931, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the son of the late J. Warren and Ethel Gilchrest. After graduating from Pittsfield High School, Don worked as a machinist very briefly before attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute under a Naval ROTC scholarship. Following graduation from RPI, Don served in the U.S. Navy from 1954 to 1957, attaining the rank of Lt. JG and serving as the electronics and combat information officer aboard the escort destroyer USS Norris. During his time in the service, he married the love of his life, Betty Bennett on September 22, 1956. After being honorably discharged from the Navy, he began a long career working for General Electric, eventually settling in Liverpool, New York, where Don and Betty raised their family. Following his retirement from GE, they moved to Virginia, where Don consulted with Newport News Shipbuilding for many years. Although very proud of his association with GE, he considered his time working on the Seawolf Submarine Project for Newport News to be the pinnacle of his career. While living in Huntsville, Alabama, and working as the General Electric Representative at the Redstone Arsenal, Don encountered a new relationship with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which changed the trajectory of his life and that of his family’s. He was an avid student of the Bible and served in numerous ministries, including the Gideons and the Church Home League. He loved being a member of the North Syracuse Baptist Church while living in Liverpool and served for many years as the greeter who would welcome people to services with a big smile. He had a lifelong love of music and was known to sing loudly in church and was in various choirs. Don was the devoted husband to Betty for 66 years. His other passions were backpacking, camping, and traveling. He took pictures wherever he went and was generous about sharing them with his family. He was a health and exercise enthusiast who at one point in his life ran 15 miles a day. He prioritized spending time with his family and passed on to his children a conviction to never hire somebody to do something that you could do yourself. This was even seen in his intense dislike of paying money to go to restaurants, since he knew that his wife could prepare something much better at home for free. Don is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Bennett Gilchrest, his children, Catherine Tietjen (husband John Tietjen), Donna Phelan, Bette-lou O’Brien (husband Dennis O’Brien), Donald Gilchrest Jr. (wife Rhonda Gilchrest), Richard Gilchrest (wife Susan Gilchrest), and Roger Gilchrest (wife Diedre Gilchrest), as well as seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He is also survived by one sister Virginia G. Cooley. He was predeceased by brothers Richard, Lloyd, and Roger Gilchrest. The family plans a private service to inter him at Quantico National Cemetery.

Donald Warren Gilchrest

March 19, 1931 - January 25, 2023