Obituary of Dr. Donald Max "Don" Lake

Dr. Donald Max “Don” Lake died peacefully at St. Thomas West Medical Center on Tuesday, February 28, 2017, in Nashville, TN at the age of 80. Don is survived by his wife Kristen; children, Stephen (Christina) Lake, Gwendolyn (David) Camera, Philip (Michelle) Lake and Lee (Lea) Zimmerman; grandchildren, Donovan Lake, Owen, Ethan and Aria Camera, Ariana, Theo, Aubrey and Anthony Lake, and Kristen Zimmerman; and siblings, Marilyn (Donald) Griffin. He is preceded in death by his parents Homer and Thelma Lake of Macon, Missouri. Don was born on January 27, 1937, in Dodge City, Kansas. He graduated from Wheaton College (IL) in 1959 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical and Theological Studies and Master’s degree in Theology in 1960. He was awarded the Ph.D. in Theology at the University of Iowa in 1967. In that same year, he married one of his sister Marilyn’s nursing students at the University of Missouri Columbia, Kristen Nell. He pastored the Cedar Hills Evangelical Free Church (Cedar Rapids, IA) for several years before assuming a position as a professor of theology at his alma mater Wheaton College in 1970. He served as an interim and pulpit pastor at several churches in the Chicago area during his years in Wheaton. His genuine desire to serve the Lord and to help people led to the establishment of King’s Partners, a ministry intended to provide affordable housing for individuals, while also displaying the love of Christ. After more than 30 years of service, he retired from Wheaton College in the spring of 2000, at which time he and Kristen moved to Gallatin, Tennessee. Don and Kristen were less than 4 months away from celebrating their 50th anniversary. Don was an active member of Community Church of Hendersonville (TN) and taught a Bible class on Sunday mornings. A Celebration of Life service is scheduled for 7PM on Thursday, March 2, 2017, at Community Church of Hendersonville, preceded by a visitation from 5:30 to 6:30PM. In lieu of flowers, please send donations either to Christian Family Care (cfcare.org), a non-profit organization, which provides holistic services for foster and adoptive youth and their families, or to Ministries of New Life, a ministry of spiritual renewal led by Don’s sister, Marilyn Griffin (mnewlife.org). Arrangements by Sellars Funeral Home at Hendersonville, 108 Monthaven Blvd., Hendersonville, TN 37075, 615-265-8535, obituary line 615-758-8818, www.sellarsfuneralservices.com