Donald Ray Albert

Don has made his final flight into the heavens, a place where he always loved to be. DOn was born on October 21, 10940 to the parents of James T. Sr and Imogene Albert in Amarillo, Texas. He attended Amarillo High and Tascosa High schools and after school he joined the U.S. Army where he served as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division. In 1962 he was honorably discharged and moved back to Amarillo. In 1963 Don was accepted by the Amarillo police department as a police officer.

While he was on the police department he also served in the 12th Special forces reserve unit in Amarillo and was an active member of the Special Forces reserve unit in Amarillo and was an active member of the Special Forces Association chapter 95 in Amarillo.

He started taking flying lessons in 1965 and after obtaining all of hid flight ratings he left the police department in 1968 and was hired by Pioneer Natural Gas as a corporate pilot where he remained until 1986 when the company was taken over and liquidated. Don moved to Rogers, AR where he flew for a short time for Walmart Corporation and then Hudson Foods in Rogers, AR until he was hired by American West Airlines as a pilot in 1989 based in Phoenix, Az.

After his career with AWA he flew as a corporate pilot and also part time charter pilot. In July 2017 Don was awarded The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for 50 or more years as a pilot the most prestigious award given by the FAA.

Don is preceded in death by his parents, a son Alan Albert; a grand daughter Casey Leyba; a great grandson Bradley Smith and a brother J.T. Albert Jr.

He is survived by a daughter Pamela Smith and husband Johnnie of Sylacauga, Al, a son David Albert of Palm Bat, FL; a daughter Kristi Albert of Meza, AZ; 12 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.