Don Ely

Donald Thomas Ely went to be with the Lord on July 1, 2022, at the age of 79. He was born in Fresno, California and moved to San Antonio, Texas when he was two years old. He met his wife Kay in the 4th grade, and they remained friends through graduation from Thomas Jefferson High School. He was fortunate enough, that after asking Kay out for the third time, she finally said, “YES!” Six months later they were married at First Baptist Church and were blessed with 31 years of marriage.

Don is survived by his wife, Kay Dukes Ely, two daughters, Christa Borchers (Eric), Shawna Barrientos (Felix), sons Charles Embrey (Melanie), and Mark Embrey (Olga). He was known as “Poppers” to his grandchildren: Tess (Daniel), Michael (Jennifer), Grace, Mark, Nicole, Madison, Esperanza, Cameron, Connor (Yeliz), Reagan, Taylor, Shelby (Luke), and Joey. He is also survived by two brothers, Charles Ely (Judy) and Garry Ely (Debra) and a number of nieces and nephews.

Don worked at Sears in Central Park Mall for 30 years. Upon retirement, he was a realtor in San Antonio for 25 years. In addition, he built a mini-storage in Lakehills in 1994.

Don’s hobbies included fishing, hunting, boating, hot rods, car shows, and traveling. He loved his family, his many friends, and most of all he loved his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was a good example to everyone he met. He was kind, generous, and loved to tell stories.

Services will be held at First Baptist Church in downtown San Antonio (515 McCullough, San Antonio, TX 78215) on Friday, July 8, 10:00AM in the Sanctuary.

In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Don Ely may be made to the Ministry Plan of First Baptist Church, San Antonio.