Don had a great appreciation for the natural beauty of Cape Cod, especially Wellfleet. He enjoyed leading walks in the various natural and historic locations in Wellfleet and kayaking throughout the salt and fresh waters.
Don was a leader in the community's efforts to restore the Herring River estuary to its natural tidal flows and was a founding member and President of the Friends of the Herring River, working with the Herring River Restoration Committee of the Cape Cod National Seashore, the Town of Wellfleet, and Town of Truro. He was also a Trustee and Treasurer of the Wellfleet Conservation Trust, and a member of the Board of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, the Wellfleet Zoning Board of Appeals, and Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Wellfleet.
Don graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1958, and earned his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Illinois. He enjoyed a distinguished career in the military, including duties at West Point, service overseas in Vietnam and South Korea, and engineering assignments worldwide with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, retiring with the rank of brigadier general.
Following the military, he took a position as vice president for architecture and construction at NBC in New York City. He capped his career in service to the international child assistance organization, Save the Children.
Don was preceded in death by his wife Martha Catherine Palladino, née Halloran, and by his parents, Ralph Albert Palladino and Helena Palladino, née D’Amato.
He is survived by his son Carl Palladino and his wife Janine Palladino, née Lupo, of Oakland, CA; his daughter Cara Palladino and her wife Isabelle Barker of Philadelphia, PA; his daughter Lisa Palladino and her husband William Fellows of Ojai, CA; and his daughter Cori Palladino and her husband Todd Yellin of Arlington, MA. He also delighted in his seven grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Friends of the Herring River, PO Box 496, Wellfleet, MA 02667 or the Wellfleet Conservation Trust, PO Box 84, Wellfleet, MA 02667.
A funeral will be held on Friday afternoon, June 8, 2018 at West Point Cemetery in New York at the United States Military Academy. All are welcome to attend; visitors without military credentials will need to meet at the William F. Hogan Funeral Home at 135 Main Street in Highland Falls, NY at 1pm on Friday June 8th in order to be escorted onto the post. A memorial service is being planned in Wellfleet in September, 2018.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18