Ellington

It's a common man who loves his family and dogs, but a special man who takes that love and channels it into a philanthropy that makes a lasting change. Such is the legacy of Doyle Warrington, who passed away Oct. 1 at age 71. His memory will live on through his family and his work with numerous charities.

Born in Pine Bluff, Ark., Warrington was a University of Arkansas graduate and held a variety of jobs in his lifetime, including at Xerox Corporation and AT&T. He moved to Ridgeland in 1986 and became well known for his work with the Midtown Restaurant Corporation and as executive director of the Ridgeland Tourism Commission.

Warrington's charitable work extended to organizations such as the Mississippi Red Cross and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. His longest involvement was with the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, where he volunteered for 20 years and served as chairman of the board of directors for 10 years.

Mary Fortune, vice president of the organization, recalled her first meeting with Warrington 20 years ago.

"He came to talk to me because his nephew had diabetes and was not doing really well with it," Fortune said. "He wanted to see what we could do to help."

Sensing that Warrington's passion for his young nephew could be channeled into something that would help hundreds, Fortune offered him the chance to serve as a volunteer on the board of directors. He said yes, and a lifelong friendship was born.

Warrington worked at the foundation's Camp Kando, a camp for children with diabetes, even though his nephew was too old to go. The camp is free to all children with diabetes, and is named for the positive "can-do" attitude it aims to inspire in its campers.

His spirit will live on in the "Doyle Warrington Memorial Diabetic Dog Alert Fund," which will collect money to help diabetic children and adults afford service dogs who can alert them when their blood sugar is dangerously high or low.

"We had started the Diabetic Alert Program a little over a year ago, but because of Doyle's interest in it, and because of his love of children and dogs, we just thought it would be a nice tribute to him to name this particular project that we do in his memory," Fortune said.

Warrington's memory will also live on in his family, particularly his wife Dawn, his brother Frank, and his children Dee, Bradley, Byron, Tammy, Cerissa, and Natali, as well as his grandchildren—and two dogs.