Don Lester Arant, Jr.

Don Lester Arant, Jr., age 78, resident of Oakland, Tennessee and husband of Anne Gordon Arant, departed this life Monday afternoon, June 1, 2020 at St. Francis Hospital in Bartlett, Tennessee.

Don was born May 14, 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of the late Don Lester Arant, Sr. and Harriet Orrick Arant. He was a graduate of Memphis Technical High School and served his country in the United States Air Force. He was married June 22, 1963 to the former Anne Gordon and he was employed as a maintenance mechanic for many years before his retirement. He was a lifelong resident of the West Tennessee area and was a member of Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church. Don loved drag racing and held a world record for around seven years with his 1966 Chevrolet Impala SS with a 283 that he built himself. He had his own custom performance race shop that he ran for many years.

Mr. Arant is survived by his wife of almost 57 years, Anne Gordon Arant of Oakland, TN; his daughter, Tina Patterson (Eric) of Collierville, TN; his son, Darren Arant (Suzi) of Olive Branch, MS; and five grandchildren, Landen Kirkman, Chase Kirkman, Hayden Arant, Holden Arant and Henry Arant. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Liz West.

Funeral Services with Military Honors for Mr. Arant were held at 1 P.M. Monday, June 8, 2020 at the Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church with Pastor Doug Barcroft officiating. Interment was in the West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery in Memphis.

Those honored to serve as pallbearers were Steve Matlock, Lou Cardamone, Bobby Pounders, Darren Arant, Hayden Arant and Landen Kirkman.

The family requests that memorials be directed to St. Jude Memorial Giving, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959.

To send a virtual hug to the family of Mr. Arant, please go to https://www.sendhugs.com/record/jq7TLeTBWtE/Don-Arant