Donald McClure Corbett III, better known as Don by his friends and Cobs by his family, passed away on September 15, 2021, at the age of 59 in his home in Hampton Cove, Alabama.
Don is survived by Shelley Hart Corbett, his wife of 31 years, whom he married on December 29, 1989; as well as their three children, daughter, Renée Corbett Reddig and husband, Kole, of Morgantown, WV, son, Donald McClure Corbett IV “Cory” of Huntsville, AL, and daughter, Audrey Joann Corbett of Birmingham, AL. Also surviving is his mother, Wanda Lea Corbett; sister, Cindi Corbett Woodruff and husband, Kevin; and brother, Alan Corbett and wife, Mary. He has 18 nieces and nephews and several godsons.
Don was born in Dayton, Ohio on March 29, 1962, to Wanda Lea Corbett and the late Donald McClure Corbett Jr. He grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and graduated from Dunwoody High School in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was an avid runner. He attended Georgia Institute of Technology and was a proud brother of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity. A degree in Electrical Engineering launched his career in southern California with Rockwell. Don then remained a loyal employee to Boeing for 36 years as a missile defense engineer, focusing on the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program. His family likes to joke that he was a real-life rocket scientist. While working for Boeing, Don and Shelley moved their family from California to Alabama to Kwajalein, and finally back to sweet home Alabama.
Don loved to explore the world with his family. He traveled to 30+ countries, taking advantage of visiting his kids when they volunteered and worked abroad. He loved to relax on the beach, ski the slopes, scuba dive, hike with the Boy Scouts, and photograph beautiful scenery (and occasionally his family). He also enjoyed walking his dogs, cleaning the pool, attending college football games, planning cruises, and teaching religious education at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. During his three-month battle with cancer, Don enjoyed many joyous moments surrounded by family, including the marriage of his eldest daughter, an amazing Grateful Dead show, and several backyard pool parties.
A visitation will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, September 20 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Huntsville, AL. The Catholic funeral mass will be celebrated following the visitation, at 2 p.m., with Father Michael Mac Mahon as celebrant. Reception to follow. A private interment will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 21 Hampton Cove Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Holy Spirit Haiti Mission at https://holyspirithaitimission.org.
