Donald Lynn Corley was born an identical twin on March 21, 1937, to Edna Florence Narcissus Hill and Daniel Nugent (D.N.) Corley in Albuquerque, NM. He passed peacefully in his home on August 14, 2026, at the age of 89. surrounded by many of his children and grandchildren. Don was the last of 10 children. He is preceded in death by his parents, D.N. and Edna Corley; nine of his brothers and sisters; and his daughter-in-law, Misty Corley.

As a young child, he gave his life to Christ at a VBS. In 1952, Don and his wife Berta attended a Billy Graham Crusade in Albuquerque, NM. It was there that they committed to serve the Lord with their lives.

Don met his wife when he was 11, and she was 8. Seven years later, on March 21, 1955, at the ages of 15 and 18, they would be married. Proverbs 18:22 says, “He who finds a wife, finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.” She was by far his “good thing.” In 1956, they felt the Lord calling them to Bible College. They moved to Chattanooga, TN to attend Tennessee Temple University. During this time, he attended college, and they started their family, welcoming Colleen in 1956, and Sandra in 1957.

After graduation, Don and Berta were set to head to Germany as missionaries. However, the Lord had different plans and closed the door to Germany. They returned to Albuquerque, NM, where in 1960 they welcomed their son, Randall. Shortly after his birth, they would head north to Kirtland/Farmington, NM area to spread the gospel to the Navajo people. Here they began working with the Word of Life Navajo Indian Rescue Mission. They soon located to two houses on Animas Street, moving the Rescue Mission work and starting Bible Baptist Shepherd Church. In 1964, they established the Bible Baptist Shepherd, Inc. so that other missionaries could join in ministry. Together they would work in town as well as witnessing at Bisti and White Rock areas on the Reservation holding services on Tuesday nights and doing Vacation Bible Schools each summer. In 1965 they started a Kindergarten as an outreach to the Navajo people in Farmington. Eventually, they would buy property on Murray Street, and relocated the Church, Kindergarten and Navajo Rescue Mission. In 1973, with a deep desire to help more children come to know the LORD they started a Christian Day School. During the early 1960 they began a summer training program for Bible College students interested in mission ministry, which influenced many lives for the Lord’s service. Don and Berta would run teen missions camps and oversee mission teams where they helped challenge and train young people in mission service. They taught hundreds of students, watched countless sports games, took students to attend competitions across the country, helped individuals who needed a hand, all while continuing to love others and lead them to Christ.

Between the years of 1962 and 1977, they would welcome five more children, Roxanne, Paul, Burson, Keith, and Bryan.

Husband. Dad. Grandpa. Papa. Uncle. Twin Brother. Pastor. Such small words for the huge impact each word made. Father to 8 kids, Grandpa to 39, Great-Grandpa to 84, Great-Great-Grandpa to 4. Every single morning, even to the end, while Berta would pray for their family by name, Don would pray for missionaries, Navajo preachers, and people they had led to the Lord over the years. Even when they had passed away, he continued to name them with the intention of covering their families. What a comfort it was to know that no matter what, you were prayed for each day. They were our prayer warriors. They were our #1 cheerleaders at our sports games.

He is survived by his children, Neil and Colleen Foerster, Ed and Sandy Moore, Randy and Lauralea Corley, Lawrence and Roxie Benally, Paul and Pam Corley, Burson and Debbie Corley, Keith and Rachel Corley, Bryan and Leah Corley, and his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on August 28, at Day 3 Church, located at 1111 S Miller, Farmington, NM.

Don lived his life loving others. Many homeless people would come to their home and he would make them a plate of food. He never turned them away. He never met a stranger. He would walk into a room and walk up to a native american person and start singing in Navajo, and there he would begin his opportunity to talk to them about Christ. He loved to sing the great songs of faith in Jesus. He spent years putting together a song book in Navajo and English with the help of many Navajo people. These have been distributed across the Navajo Nation and beyond.

He gave out thousands of tracks and we are thankful for the legacy he has left us. We will cherish our family verse that was shared before every meal: Acts 16:31. His greatest desire was to see people trust in the Lord and their house!