Donald I Walley

Donald Walley, one of the original “mad men” and an award winning artist, passed away in New York, December 21st 2022 with his beloved wife of more than 40 years Elizabeth “Liz” Robbins Walley by his side.

As a VP and creative director at international advertising agencies that included McCann Erickson and Saatchi & Saatchi, Don crossed the world creating campaigns for AT&T, Sony, Coca Cola, Pabst Beer and many others by shooting atop volcanoes in Hawaii, herding wild elephants in Kenya or cage-diving with sharks in Florida.

He lived in Manhattan, summered at Fire Island, and was an accomplished watercolorist whose paintings can be found in corporate and private collections.

Don was a graduate of Music & Art High School and Pratt Institute in New York, studied at The Yale School of Art and the Art Students League, and served in the Psy Ops unit of the U.S. Army.

Early in his career, Don moved to London where he lived for 5 years and where his sons were born and subsequently educated.

Already over 6’2” at 13 years of age, Don had an outsized personality to match. A commanding presence, he loved dancing and humor, was ever curious and saw the world through an artist’s eyes.

His family treasures the unique works of art and notes he created for them, which were special expressions of his creativity and love.

Beside his wife, Don is survived by his sons Noah (Kristina) and Matthew (Sandra), sister Harriet Walley, granddaughters Natassia and Arabella, niece Sarah Kugelman, and grandniece Alexa Nanes.