Donald S. "Don" Eliot

Donald SHIELDS “DON” ELIOT, age 77 of Columbus and Grandview Heights died peacefully, at home, April 14, 2015 holding his wife’s hand. He was a victim of Pancreatic Cancer. Don was born in Springfield, Ohio to Claudia and Charles Eliot on October 27, 1937.

Don was the 10th great-grandson of John Eliot, Minister to the Algonquin Indians, who also translated the Bible into the Algonquin language. Seven copies of the Bible remain in the Library of Congress. He graduated from Delaware Willis High School in 1955 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University with majors in General Speech, Speech Science and Education and a Master of Arts degree from The Ohio State University in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Don received the 1st Sigma Beta Fellowship with the National Hearing Society and The Ohio State University. He was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity.

Don was a Clinical Audiologist for 50 years, serving with the Columbus Hearing and Speech Center and Nationwide Childrens’ Hospital. He has been a dispensing audiologist for 43 years. Don has served as a consultant to the Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic at Nationwide Childrens’ Hospital, consultant to the Pediatric-Otologic-Diagnostic Clinics with the Ohio Department of Health, the Heinzerling Foundation and administered license examinations for hearing aid dispensers in the State of Ohio. Don was a past president of the Central Ohio Speech and Hearing Association.

At the time of his death, he had a private Audiology and dispensing practice and provided private instruction and workshops for hearing aid license examination trainees. Don was a 47-year member of First Community Church, where he sang for 20 years in the Chancel Choir and Chamber Singers, was member of the Telemedia Crew and joined Mission Council to serve Meals to the Homeless. He served two terms as President of Vaud-Villities, was a multi-gallon donor in the Red Cross Pheresis Program, and served for 10 years as the Newsletter Editor for Golden Endings: Golden Retriever Rescue. Don was an avid photographer with exhibits in various places through the years. He enjoyed songwriting, composing many featured numbers for CELEBRATE KIDS!!! and was commissioned to write a song for the 75th Anniversary of the city of Upper Arlington. He was the lyricist and composer for publicly performed musicals: EAST OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE MOON, TIME TREKS, REMEMBER THE LADIES and a touring production titled TOGETHER AGAIN!

This gentle soul was preceeded in death by his parents and his beloved Golden Retrievers: Holly, Belle, Libery Bell of Arlington, Madison and Annie. Don’s family was first and foremost in his life. He is survived by his beloved wife of 55 years, Jill; daughters Ann Eliot-Naille (Brian), Julie Eliot-Gulisano (Jamie); 7 grandchildren: Amelia and Audra Naille, Joshua, Jacob, Jesse, Josie and Jordan Gulisano; his sister Sally Williams; brother-in-law Jack Shanks (Sharon); 4 nieces: Susan Bauer (Bob), Judy Williams, Dr. Deana Miller, Capt. USN; and Joan Taylor. Also surviving are 2 nephews: Steven Williams (Stephanie) and Todd Shanks (Angela); great nieces Jessica Bauer, Julia Senff (Ben), Claudia Henning, Mary Ellen Shanks, Calista and Michelle Miller and great bephews Zachary and Jeremy Williams, Austin and Logan Shanks and Clark Miller. Great-great niece Marie Senff and great-great nephew Charles Senff also survive.

A Service of Memory will be held in the sanctuary of First Community Church, 1320 Cambridge Blvd., Marble Cliff on Sunday, May 17, 2015 2:00 p.m. with reception in Brownlee Hall following. Interment will be in Oak Grove Cemetery, Delaware, Ohio on Saturday, May 16, 2015 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in Don’s memory to the First Community Church Media Ministry, Golden Endings, Pancreatic Cancer Research at the James Cancer Hospital or the Ohio Wesleyan University Annual Fund.