Donald \u201cDon\u201d G. Cummings, 91, passed away peacefully on Feb. 3, 2026, in Bakersfield, Calif., leaving behind a lifetime of memories with family and friends who loved him dearly.<\/p>\n
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Don was born on Dec. 9, 1934, in Great Falls, Mont., to George Marshall and Ruth (Donner) Cummings. He was raised on a farm, an upbringing that helped shape his strong work ethic, practical nature and appreciation for doing things well and doing them right\u2014qualities that stayed with him throughout his life. His curiosity and quiet sense of humor were evident from an early age and remained hallmarks of who he was.<\/p>\n
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After graduating from high school, Don moved to Ventura, Calif., where he pursued both his studies and his love of football, playing one season at Ventura Junior College. He later joked that while he loved the game, the game didn\u2019t love him quite as much\u2014leaving him with a few broken bones\u2014and after three total years of playing football, he turned his focus fully to his studies.<\/p>\n
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Don continued his education at the University of Utah, working summer road construction jobs to pay for his room, board and tuition. In 1960 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Ceramics Engineering, an accomplishment earned through determination and hard work.<\/p>\n
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Following graduation, Don was hired by General Electric and spent two years working in San Jose, Calif., where he met the love of his life, Arline Havener. In 1962, he volunteered for the United States Peace Corps and was assigned to a survey team in Malaya, traveling on road construction projects in the backcountry\u2014an experience that deepened his love of travel, culture and adventure. Don and Arline were married in December 1963 upon his return to California, beginning a devoted partnership that would span a lifetime.<\/p>\n
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Don and Arline lived and worked in Taft, Calif., until the spring of 1965 when Don accepted an engineering position in Saudi Arabia. They later moved to Cairo, Egypt, continuing a life enriched by global travel and cultural exploration. In 1967 Don was presented with the opportunity to work in Milan, Italy, followed by a move to Gretna, La., in March 1968. After nearly a year there they returned to Taft, where Don founded Enterprise Contractors, Inc. Taft remained their home for the rest of their lives. Don and Arline built their life in Taft, where they formed lasting friendships and remained active members of the community for many years.<\/p>\n
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Don was an active member of the Taft Optimist Club, where he especially enjoyed the fellowship and annual fundraisers, including working at the Christmas tree lot. He loved to cook and was famous for bringing a pot of his legendary spaghetti or green beans to family gatherings and special events.<\/p>\n
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He and Arline shared many joyful Super Bowl celebrations with their dear friends Jerry and Jackie Peavyhouse. A lifelong football fan, Don proudly supported the San Francisco 49ers and enjoyed watching and discussing the game for years. Other favorite topics included music ranging from classical to Kris Kristofferson, travel and keeping a close eye on how particular stocks were performing.<\/p>\n
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Above all, Don loved visiting with family and friends\u2014especially if it involved a sunny spot outdoors and good conversation. He will be remembered for his quiet good humor, quick wit and the way his eyes lit up when sharing stories of his travels and the friends he made along the way.<\/p>\n
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Don was preceded in death by his sisters Nada Bornhoft and Darlene Volk; his brother Charles \u201cChuck\u201d Cummings; brother-in-law Arlie Bornhoft; and nephews Guy Paul Cummings and Daniel Bornhoft.<\/p>\n
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He is survived by his beloved wife, Arline Cummings; sister-in-law Carolyn McCleod (Tom); and brothers-in-law Fred Volk and Robert Havener (Saundra).<\/p>\n
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He is also survived by nine nieces and nephews: Debra Bornhoft; David Bornhoft (Valerie); Deanna Curtis (David); Grant Cummings (Judy); Randall Volk (Rita); Dean Volk (Amy); Vanessa Brammier (Leonard); Kelly Holmes (Patrick); and David Wells (Kimberly), along with many great-nieces and great-nephews.<\/p>\n
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The family would also like to express their heartfelt gratitude to Barby Morse and Jackie Peavyhouse for their kindness, friendship and the many thoughtful ways they supported and cared for Don and Arline over the years. Their warmth and generosity have meant so much to the family.<\/p>\n
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Honoring Don\u2019s wishes, no services will be held. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Donald \u201cDon\u201d G. Cummings, 91, passed away peacefully on Feb. 3, 2026, in Bakersfield, Calif., leaving behind a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":236175,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152,180,10238],"class_list":{"0":"post-236174","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bakersfield","8":"tag-bakersfield","9":"tag-bakersfield-headlines","10":"tag-bakersfield-news","11":"tag-newsletter","12":"tag-obituaries"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236174\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}