Donald McGee Cheek

He was born in Raleigh, NC and was the son of Kendrick Goodwin Cheek, Sr. and Janie Elizabeth Smith Cheek. His early years were spent in Raleigh attending the following elementary schools: Murphy, Fred Olds and Thompson. He attended Hugh Morson High School, graduating in 1945. While at Hugh Morson he was a member of the 1944 and 1945 basketball teams. At Hugh Morson he joined the Hi-Y Club which introduced him to the Raleigh YMCA, which became one of the most important events of his early years.

During his senior year in high school, he began working part-time as a youth instructor for the Raleigh YMCA. He served as a summer camp counselor during the summers of 1944 and 1945 at Camp Edgerton which was owned and operated by the Raleigh YMCA.

After joining the Army Air Corps Enlisted Reserves in 1944, on September 11, 1945, he entered military service and served in the US Army Air Corps. He received basic training at Keesler Field at Biloxi, MS, and then was shipped overseas in January 1946, to the 40th Bomb Wing of the 8th Air Force in Erlangen, Germany. He served in Germany during the US occupation of Western Europe after World War II. In September 1946, he returned to the USA on an emergency leave due to the terminal illness of his father. On October 20, 1946, he was honorably discharged from service with the rank of Corporal and awarded the Good Conduct Medal, US Occupation of Germany Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.

From October 1946 to September 1947, he worked full-time as an instructor in the Youth Department of the Raleigh YMCA. In September 1947 he entered Appalachian State Teachers College and graduated in 1951 with a BS Degree in Physical Education and Social Science. During the summers of 1947 - 1950, he continued his work in the Youth Department of the Raleigh YMCA. In 1951, he was hired by the Raleigh YMCA’s General Director, Wyatt Taylor, and served in the capacity of Associate Physical Director, Director of Community Services, and Membership Director at the YMCA. During the summer, because of his position at the YMCA, he worked at the YMCA’s Camp Sea Gull and Camp Seafarer. He served as Sea Program Director at Camp Sea Gull and Camp Seafarer. He was then promoted to Assistant and then Associate Director of Camp Sea Gull before taking the position of Director of Camp Sea Gull. In 1980 he became the CEO of the Capital Area YMCA, now known as the YMCA of the Triangle. He retired from this position on October 1, 1993. He was inducted in 1998 as a member of the Camp Sea Gull/Camp Seafarer Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2003 into the Legends of Camping Award of the YMCA South Field.

During his counselor days at Camp Sea Gull, he was licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard and piloted the first Long Cruise trips on the famous vessel Joy Boy. Wyatt Taylor, director of Camp Sea Gull at the time, officially named Don “Captain Don”. To this day, many of the former camp employees and campers still refer to him as “Captain Don”.

On January 17, 1960, he married Blanche Allen Aldridge at First Baptist Church, Kinston, NC. They had two children and lived in Raleigh, NC. Don and Blanche (also known as B.A.) were married for 48 years before Blanche’s death in March of 2008.

Don was a member of First Baptist Church of Raleigh and was an active member of the Young Men’s Fellowship and the Everette Miller Bible Class. He was also member of the Stag Club and the Raleigh Civitan Club, receiving the Medallion Member Award on April 2002 for 25 years of Civitan service. He was immensely proud of being a life-long Raleigh resident. He enjoyed his membership and gatherings of the Ole Raleigh Boys and Good Ol’ Boys Club, reminiscing about growing up in Raleigh.

In retirement years, Don enjoyed traveling extensively with B.A, touring the Holy Land and many other fascinating destinations. He also enjoyed spending time at our family house in Morehead City, NC, taking family members fishing whenever possible. Don spent considerable time performing genealogical research. His research led him to travel, tour cemeteries and interview many others to document our family lineage.

He is survived by his daughter Linda Cheek Su (Henry), and son Charles Kendrick Cheek; granddaughters, Hannah Elizabeth Cheek Ilgen (Zachary), Ellen Lin Su; grandsons, Charles Allen Su, Logan Kendrick Cheek; great-grandson Theodore “Teddy” James Ilgen and brother Randall Puryear Cheek (Shirley) as well as serval beloved nieces and nephews and their families.

In addition to his parents and his wife, Don was preceded in death by his older brothers Kendrick Goodwin Cheek, Jr. and Stanley Gordon Cheek.

A Celebration of Life was held on Saturday, August 24, 2024 at First Baptist Church, 99 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC. To view the service, you may do so within this link ' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMRx538ikMQ '.

The family requests that those wishing to make a memorial gift consider one of the following YMCA of the Triangle, or First Baptist Church Raleigh, by using the links below, under 'Donations'.

If you would like to leave a favorite memory / story of Donald, or a message of condolence for his family, you may do so below, within "Add a Memory'.