Donald Arthur Hull

Well, Heaven just got one hell of a hard working, family loving, lively, and stubborn man with a heart of gold. Donald Arthur "Don" Hull, resident of Montague, passed away at Mercy Medical Center, Redding, early Sunday morning, March 6, 2022, at the age of 82. He was born February 9, 1940, in Ottawa, Canada, to George and Annette (Pilon) Hull who pre -deceased him. He is survived by his wife, Barbara (Meamber/deRoo) Hull of Montague; sisters Kathy (Wally Sambirsky) and Celia Bartello; children Diane (John Gourgon), Elaine Hull, Don Hull, Gordon Hull (Jana), Darren Hull (Ashley), step-son Bryan deRoo (Elizabeth); and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Probably the greatest tragedies of his life were the losses of two children whose lives were cut far too short, Darlene Hull and Ricky Hull. A great joy to his life was the expectation of his last grandchild, the first child of his last child, Darren Hull. Max Morris Hull was born March 3, 2022, down the hall in the same hospital, where Don was clinging to the last days of his life. Unfortunately, due to isolation protocol, he was unable to meet his new grandchild. But Don knew of Max's birth and was grateful. His sisters recall that he had a very close relationship with his mom. His mom loved to hear him retell the mischievous events of his childhood, and the way he would exaggerate kept her laughing for hours. However, he always knew he was in trouble when mom called him "Donald," like the Halloween when he and his friends tipped over the outhouse with Mr. Belanger in it! His father wanted his son to become a policeman, but obviously he had different ideas and forged his own path. Don always saw himself to be his sisters' protector until their California visit in summer of 1999 when they schemed to turn the table on him. Dressed in raincoats and water goggles, they ambushed him with water cannons, chased him around the yard and drenched him completely. Kathy remembers the look of "oh, shit" in his eyes, which instantly turned to resignation as he grabbed a water pistol and joined in the fun. Don was larger than life to his family of five. He carried one serious character flaw his entire life. It was an aggravation to his wife throughout their nearly 50 years together and likely his parents when he was a child. But that flaw served him well and ultimately probably added many years to his life. He thought he was indestructible. There was nothing he couldn't do; nothing he couldn't accomplish; nothing he couldn't out-wit. He lived his life as though it would never end. For everyone who knew him, it's safe to say he was the hardest working, toughest, and most determined person you'd ever know. His story and his attitude has always inspired. He was a man from humble and hard beginnings where he was raised in Canada, dropping out of school in the 9th grade to help support his family by going to work. He risked his life by working in uranium mines before anyone worried about protection, and by racing cars. He had an ambulance and rescue business where he risked his life and saved many others. These were only a few of his daredevil pursuits. He taught himself everything he knew. He loved baking bread and fondly recalled working in a Jewish bakery as a youth. Eventually he got involved in the car wash industry which appealed to his inquisitive mind. He found himself highly respected for his crazy ideas and innovations. He proudly never forgot big-wigs at Shell Oil asking him to teach their engineers about something he was doing. He responded, "But I'm not an engineer." The big-wigs responded that of course he was. In that industry, he managed car washes for others; managed manufacturing companies; constantly designed new products for which he was issued numerous patents; spent way more time than he wanted being flown all over Canada and the US troubleshooting problems; and had his own sales, distribution and installation business. Eventually he built and operated his own car wash business with his wife for nearly 30 years in Barbara's home town of Yreka. During those years he also ran the local public access television station in Yreka where he could be seen at every type of civic, school, holiday, emergency, and "you-name-it" events with his trusty video camera and microphone. In the year 2000 he was proudly named Citizen of the Year in Yreka. His list of accomplishments in his life are many and would probably warrant writing a book to accurately describe his contribution to this world. After he retired from owning the Yreka Car Wash, he and Barbara moved to a family ranch in Montague, where his hard work ethic and drive continued on with tending to cattle, hay fields, water lines, and heavy equipment. The last several years of his life he dealt with numerous major health issues. Many of those issues would undoubtedly cause a normal human being to roll over and lay down. By many accounts, he was "too stubborn to die." He would always say he couldn't sit down for long because he might not get back up. So he stayed moving. He always kept himself busy and defied so many odds, accomplishing tasks and taking care of the house and his wife in ways that many did not think were possible considering his health. The phrase "they don't make them like that anymore" almost characterizes his determination and devotion to his family and community, but still falls short of truly describing his grit. He was always there for family and never left them wondering about how much he loved them. He always set the example and was always strong, protective, and supportive. Because of his grit, determination, and spirit, he spent his life all the way up to his final days being able to do all of the things he wanted to do. He stayed active, loved his wife with all of his heart, and took care of the ranch each day. There is not much more one could ask for their dad. He always wanted to go out swinging. In his last days, he said he didn't think he would die from some illness or stroke. He figured he'd probably fall off the backhoe, get run over by a cow, drown in the slough, or any one of the multitude of dangerous situations he put himself in around the ranch. Needless to say, he had fun. Thank you for your impact on the lives and everyone who's been touched by you. You will forever be missed and always be a guiding light for your children and children's children. A celebration of life will be held in his honor at the Yreka Community Center at 2 pm on Saturday, March 26, 2022. Memorial contributions may be made to the Donald and Dorothy Meamber Memorial USI Scholarship, P.O. Box 1328, Yreka, CA 96097 or www.unitedscholarshipsinc.org; Never Forgotten Games, care of Redding Peace Officers Association, P.O. Box 49225, Redding, CA 96049; or the charity of your choice.

Donald Arthur Hull

February 9, 1940 - March 6, 2022