Donald V. Fudge, 85, passed away on January 26, 2026, at the Inn at Sharon Brooke. Don was born on June 18, 1940, to George and Thelma Fudge in Wilmington, Ohio.  He grew up in Wilmington, and graduated from Wilmington High School in 1958. He later attended Tri-State College in Angola, Indiana and graduated in 1962. In 1961, he married Saundra (nee Dean) and they lived  in various Ohio towns while Don worked for B&L Motor Freight in Newark, and later Vance Trucking, and finally for Alpine Cheese in Millersburg, Ohio.

Throughout his years, Don always enjoyed things that made a lot of noise, like cars, tractors, CB radios, and even potato guns.  He was an avid collector and restorer of rifles and handguns, and a proud member of the Ohio Gun Collectors' Association.  Don was also an enthusiastic story-teller, from sharing the adventures of his own youth to recounting adventures with people he had met and the general mayhem of a life well-lived.

Don is survived by his wife of 63 years, Saundra of Newark; daughter, Kim O'Dell (Kemp) of Newark; son, Chris Fudge (Betsy) of Mason; daughter, Kelly Kaufman (John) of Powell; and grandchildren, Cassie(Drayton), Cameron, Abby, Eli, Maxim and Katerina. Don is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Jo Ramseyer (Robert) of Millersburg, Ohio.

In keeping with Don's wishes, there will be a graveside service at Sugar Grove Cemetery  in Wilmington, OH at a later date.