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DONALD VanPool DONALD VanPool
Memorial Candle Tribute From
Vondel Smith Mortuary
"We are honored to provide this Book of Memories to the family."
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Condolence From: John H. Scott, M.D.
Condolence: Don VanPool was the greatest coach I ever knew. He not only taught his players basketball, but he also gave us valuable lessons for life. I still remember many of the quotes and phrases he used to motivate us. Coach VanPool helped us turn into men.

Unfortunately, I have been out of town and didn't learn of his passing until after the funeral. I am deeply sorry I was not there to share in the memories and talk with the family.

This is a great loss to those who knew and loved him. I will never forget that coach VanPool was willing to take a chance on a skinny, gangly kid, and put him in the starting line-up. That faith in me meant a great deal to me. I hope I did not disappoint him. Thank you, Coach, for all you did for me.

My prayer is that Coach's family is warmed by the knowledge that so many young men were touched by one man's life. May God bless all of you.
Thursday December 22, 2011
Condolence From: John H. Scott, M.D.
Condolence: Don VanPool was the greatest coach I ever knew. He not only taught his players basketball, but he also gave us valuable lessons for life. I still remember many of the quotes and phrases he used to motivate us. Coach VanPool helped us turn into men.

Unfortunately, I have been out of town and didn't learn of his passing until after the funeral. I am deeply sorry I was not there to share in the memories and talk with the family.

This is a great loss to those who knew and loved him. I will never forget that coach VanPool was willing to take a chance on a skinny, gangly kid, and put him in the starting line-up. That faith in me meant a great deal to me. I hope I did not disappoint him. Thank you, Coach, for all you did for me.

My prayer is that Coach's family is warmed by the knowledge that so many young men were touched by one man's life. May God bless all of you.
Thursday December 22, 2011
Condolence From: Philip Murphy
Condolence: I lost track of the 'Coach' when I graduated from NWC. He was my football coach in the 9th and 10th grades and taught me how to 'Hump Block'...I needed all the help he could provide at only 124 pounds. He was an outstanding coach and a fine gentleman. God Bless all his family and friends and may he rest in peace.
Tuesday December 13, 2011
Condolence From: Rusty Fleming
Condolence: The "Class of 62"....the first of Coach VanPool's teams to reach the state tournament...like it was yesterday. We fell to El Reno, 62-58, or something like that. We thought the world had ended that night and all of us cut school the next day to avoid the disappointment we perceived would be schoolwide.

The starters on that team were Tracy Freeney, Russell Lawson, Phillip Wiles, Dennis klingsink and Rusty Fleming. And we were all touched in a special way from none other than Don VanPool. But we were just five from the Class of 62 which included the entire team. There were so many more.

Of course, every one of his teams probably considered themselves special, but damn it, ours was. We had only won three games the previous year and to defeat Douglas and advance to the state tournament had to be one his finest coaching jobs. Especially the way he tinkered with the lineup, made position changes and developed a game plan for a rag-tag group like us.

But he impacted our lives in so many more ways than on a basketball court. And many of those lessons paved the way for all of us to live our lives in a better way. There's not much we can say to lessen the loss to your entire family in this time of grief, but take time to really look back at his contributions to oh so many over the years.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire VanPool family.
Sunday December 11, 2011

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