Donald Eli Pittman

Donald Eli Pittman, age 85, passed away peacefully on September 1, 2025 at the Gardens of St. Francis in Oregon, Ohio, where he resided for the last year.

Donald was born April 5, 1940 in Kershaw, South Carolina, the son of Eli and Annie Lee Ogburn Pittman. Following high school, he joined the U. S. Army serving in the military police in Germany and was honorably discharged in 1959. After his service, he joined North Carolina National Bank as a young bank officer and was proud to oversee his hometown bank. Donald was a graduate of the American Bankers Association Bank Marketing School.

In the mid-1970s, he moved his family to Hot Springs, Arkansas where he accepted a marketing position at Arkansas Bank & Trust Company. In 1976, the bank president charged him with helping a then young Bill Clinton to become attorney general of the state and two years later to help Clinton become governor of Arkansas. Don told many stories of traveling the state with Clinton and meeting constituents. He attended both of Clinton's presidential inaugural balls and was a great friend of Bill's mother, Virginia Clinton Kelly.

As an entrepreneur, he started Pittman & Associates (later Pittman-Howell & Associates), a full-service advertising, marketing, public relations and research firm, where he served as president. The main clients were the City of Hot Springs, Magic Springs Theme Park, Mid-America Museum, Oaklawn Park Race Track, local restaurants and financial institutions throughout the state. In 1985, he and several local investors started KRZB-TV26, a low-power station in Hot Springs.

In 1987, he moved to Winchester, Virginia as vice president of marketing for Garrett-Kosin Enterprises which operated Wendy's stores in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. Later, he and several investors opened Rally's fast-food restaurants in Virginia and West Virginia. Don finished his career in marketing and sales for Culligan Water Conditioning in Winchester.

Don served as president of the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. He was a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Masonic Lodge. In recent years, he was a faithful member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oregon, Ohio.

Always an avid car collector, he owned hundreds of antique cars and religiously attended car shows in Charlotte, North Carolina and Carlisle, Hershey and York, Pennsylvania.

Most of all, Don loved spending time with his family and cherished his grandchildren dearly. In 2020, he moved to Oregon, Ohio to be near his daughter, Marilee, and her family. He is survived by his daughter, Marilee Danchisen Clemons, and husband, David of Oregon, OH; son, Damon Kirk Pittman, and wife, Marian of Atlanta, GA; grandchildren, Alexander and James Clemons and Lucy Pittman; several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Eli and Annie Lee Pittman; sisters, Joann Pittman Shook and Jeanette Pittman Smithson; and son, Derek Kyle Pittman.

A memorial service and celebration of life will be held later this fall. Memorial gifts may be sent to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 798 S. Coy Rd, Oregon, OH 43616.

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