Donald Edison Thompson Hambric

It is with the deepest sorrow that the family of Donald Edison Thompson Hambric informs his friends that Don passed away Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. at the age of 75. In December, he suffered a seizure and, complicated by long standing heart problems, he continued in an incapacitated state until mid-January when his decline visibly worsened. His passing was peaceful, and he was prepared to meet his creator.

Don was born Oct. 15, 1943, in Nacogdoches, Texas, to Edison Dewitt Thompson of Lumbee Indian heritage and Lorraine Helen Wayland who were married in Jacksonville, Florida.

Following a job lead provided by Edison Howe Wayland, his maternal grandfather, the family, consisting of him, his sister, Marion Annette Thompson and their mother and father, moved to Lubbock, Texas, where Dewitt secured a job in a foundry. The couple divorced after a year, and Lorraine and the two kids moved to California to seek fame or fortune.

Don grew up in Long Beach and later Garden Grove, where he graduated from Rancho Alamitos High School. While in high school, he played on the varsity football team and joined the 4-H Club. It was also during that time that he was introduced to his two lifelong passions, raising pigeons and Native American lore.

As a pigeon fancier, his perfectionist nature led to him becoming a recognized expert and judge. His membership in the Wawoyaka Indian Lore Club led to a lifetime of achievements as an accomplished artist, dancer, Sacred Pipekeeper and elder in the Native American Community.

Under the tutelage of his step-father James C. Hambric, whose last name Don adopted, he was introduced to weight lifting and his congenital heart condition repaired itself.

This training led to his enlistment in the Marine Corps at age 20 which changed his life completely. There he discovered the joy of physical strength, emotional stability and the camaraderie of his fellow Marines that became the hallmark of his life going forward.

With the Marine Corps and college at California State University Fullerton behind him, he met his wife Judith Sharon Swan (Haddock) at Honeywell where they were both working. She had one son, Trevor Austin, who would later become Don’s adopted son. They married in 1974, and from that union one son was born, Aaron Austin Hambric.

Don was preceded in death by his mother Lorraine Helen Hambric (Wayland); his father Edison Dewitt Thompson; his wife Judith Sharon Hambric (Haddock) and his sister Diane Elizabeth Orozco.

He is survived by his son Trevor Austin Hambric and wife Wendy Hambric (Wallace); his grandson Joshua Hambric; his son Aaron Austin Hambric; his sister Marion A. Falgren; his brother Julio Enrique Orozco III and wife Kathleen “Kate” (Alcock) and his sister Gloria “Lori” Hunter (Orozco).

Don’s many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews as well as his brother and sisters join in honoring Don’s life, and according to the traditions Don followed, they ask that all his ancestors join in a Circle of Life to acknowledge his passing.

Following Don’s instructions and the wishes of his son, there will be no funeral or memorial service. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may donate to the Fallbrook Animal Sanctuary at 230 W. Aviation Road in Fallbrook.