Don is a joy to visit—quick with a smile, quicker with a joke, and always ready with a laugh. He brings a warm, kind-hearted presence to conversation and has a remarkable memory for the stories that have shaped his life.

Born in Ely, Iowa, Don grew up in a small farming town where everyone knew one another. His parents, Frank (born 1890) and Otilla (born 1900), ran the local post office together, making it a natural gathering place for the community. Don was raised alongside two sisters: Evelyn, thirteen years older, who felt like a second mother, and Eunice, just eighteen months older, his constant companion. Both sisters have passed away, and Don remembers them with affection and gratitude.

After high school, Don worked on farms and later as a draftsman designing radio equipment for the military. He served in Korea in a peacekeeping role before earning a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Iowa. His career brought him to Minneapolis, where he worked for Honeywell for 20 years and later took charge of the computer systems for the Cities of Fridley and Blaine before retiring at 65.

Don married Sharry in 1963. They shared 52 years of marriage, and Don reflects simply, “We completed each other.” Early in their life together, they lost their firstborn son, David, at ten months old, and in that same year, their newly built home was destroyed by a tornado. They rebuilt and went on to raise three more children—two daughters and a son—learning early how to weather both literal and emotional storms together.

Don loved being a father: the pranks, road trips, laughter, and everyday togetherness. When Sharry developed Alzheimer’s, Don cared for her at home for all but the last seven months of her life. He misses her deeply.

An extraordinary friendship also shapes Don’s life. In 1989, his son Bob met John Chen on a flight and asked if the family could give him a ride from the airport. That simple kindness grew into a lifelong bond. John became part of Don’s family, showing up at milestones, through illness, and even by traveling with Don and Sharry to China to meet his family.

These days, Don uses a walker and no longer drives. The quiet in his house echoes loudly, and, with your help, he would love to fill it with joyful noise again. He’d love a friend to share conversation, stories, laughter, and the simple pleasure of being together.

Please Note: Don reports that there are firearms stored in his basement, which have remained there for several years, unused. He states that the firearms are unloaded and that he is unaware of having any ammunition.