Tickle—Donald Ray Tickle, 89, on September 18, 2025, in Greensboro, N.C. Don was born on May 5, 1936, to Posie and Alma Newman Tickle of the Red Brush community in Surry County, N.C. His education and training at White Plains High School, John Wesley Bible College, and Guilford College helped prepare Don for a life of service. On November 28, 1957, he married Patricia “Ann” Cockerham.
Don was a recorded minister in North Carolina Yearly Meeting beginning in 1980. He had a heart for those unfortunate or facing hardships. Don’s life exemplified living out of faith in the entire breadth of one’s life. He served God not only by serving various meetings in North Carolina as a pastor, but through his professional life serving the marginalized and vulnerable. He worked with the Community Action Program in Stokes County and managed a group home for intellectually disabled and at-risk youth. He taught at Alamance Community College for more than 25 years, teaching those with special needs. He taught everything from academic skills to independent living skills, demonstrating his love and acceptance of his students. It is for that love and acceptance that his students remember him.
Don and Ann served as a pastoral couple in approximately 12 different Quaker meetings in North Carolina, the first of which was when they were in their early 20s at Rocky River Meeting in Siler City. Their longest service was at Hunting Creek Meeting in Yadkinville.
The couple came to New Garden Meeting in 2002, late in Don’s professional life. He brought the occasional prepared message, but it was when he rose to speak out of the silence that the meeting was blessed with his clarity of vision, nurtured by his experience, and grounded in his humor. He loved to sing during meetings for worship. Worship was enhanced not only by the gift of his music, but by his evident joy in sharing that gift.
In his failing years, New Garden sought to minister to Don, but that effort did not approach the gift of his presence and his participation in meeting.
In addition to his parents, Don was predeceased by his siblings, Barbara White, Billy Tickle, and Joyce Williams. He was survived by his wife of more than 67 years, Ann Tickle, who died three months later.
Don is survived by two children, Jeff Tickle and Tamela Tickle; one grandchild; one step-grandchild; and one great-grandchild.
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