COTTAGE GROVE – Beloved Cottage Grove cowboy Don Williams celebrated his 90th birthday Wednesday afternoon, surrounded by friends and family – including friends as far away as Washington State – at the Cottage Grove Community Center.
“It has been a wonderful life,” Williams said. “I owe a lot to the community.”
Williams reflected on a life shaped by family, service, and community. He spoke tenderly about his late wife Jeannie, with whom he shared nearly 50 years, the loss of his son Matthew to cancer, and the enduring presence of his daughter with Down syndrome, whose friendships helped anchor the family.
Williams recalled five decades of service across some 30 local organizations, including helping steer a difficult but ultimately successful fire district merger in South Lane.
“Sometimes, like our merger of the fire department… that was extremely bumpy. But in the long run, in today’s world, I think by far it was the best thing to do,” Williams said.
He also acknowledged working with others to secure a new hospital after the closure of Cottage Grove’s original facility.
“We ironed out and formed a brand new committee and raised monies … and built, today, the new hospital here in Cottage Grove,” he said. “Those were all learning experiences, all things that I walked into that I had no knowledge of, and now I’m in a learning process of what it’s like to have care providers.”
Now relying on daily assistance himself, he said his own health challenges have deepened his appreciation for caregivers and volunteers – from those who support elders to local animal advocates who once helped bring a population of hundreds of stray cats under control.
“Until you are in that position of needing help, you have no idea. You can’t comprehend what it’s like not to be able to use your fingers to pick up a needle or pick up a cup… without help,” he said. “I’ve learned a high degree of respect for a group of people in our society that I think are overlooked, and those are the people that care for those that are unable to do for themselves.”
Cascade Chorus Barbershop Quartet performed humorous songs at the event, which was decorated with historical tidbits about 1936 and a cake screenprinted with just a few of the organizations Williams has impacted.
