Donald Marion Condon Jr.

Donald M. Condon, Jr. passed away with the best of care and loving family support on Sunday, March 19th, 2023 at Memorial Hermann Hospital, ICU in the Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX. He was born on May 17th, 1949 in Monroe, Wisconsin and grew up in Brodhead, Wisconsin, the son of Donald M. Condon, Sr. and Betty M. (Jones) Condon. He married his high school sweetheart, Linda M. Birchfield (Sauer) in 1969. They went on to have three children, Kelly Nicole, and Travis Jon (T.J.).

Don was a graduate of Brodhead High School, WI (1967) where he was a leader in sports, theater, music and on the Prom court. He was recognized for his life achievements by being indoctrinated to the school’s Hall of Fame in 2013. Don attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison School of Business earning his B.B.A. in Finance & Personnel Management and B.S. in Economics in 1974 as part of the Beta Gamma Sigma chapter and almost finished his M.B.A. in Finance through graduate work at the University of Delaware, University of Bridgeport and S.M.U. After his undergrad years, Don & Linda moved to Wilmington, Delaware to work for DuPont which took him on a 25 + year career that included moves to Connecticut for Remington Arms, overseas to the U.K. with Aldyl Gas Pipeline & ultimately to Houston, TX in 1993 as President of Conoco Energy Ventures Division. After Conoco merged with Phillips Don went on to become Managing Director (CEO) for Titan Petrochemical (Division of Westlake) in Malaysia, earning CEO of the year in 2005, the first non-Malaysian to do so. After he achieved a lifelong goal of taking said company through a successful IPO, Don and Linda finished his career with the parent company, Westlake Corporation in Houston in 2014.

As a member of MENSA, Don needed to keep that brain moving and never fully retired. He amped up his volunteer work with the University of Wisconsin’s School of Business as a founding member of the Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking where he is a former Chairman of the Board and loved teaching and mentoring young financiers on careers in international finance. He won the first ever ‘Shape the Future’ Award at UW-Madison in 2012 for the School of Business. Don had a never-ending thirst for knowledge, wanting to be either teaching what he knew or learning what others know. This kept him going as demonstrated in his time as an Executive-In-Residence at the UW School of Business. He was still speed-reading 1,000 page books into his 70s that always made his family jealous of his ability to read & retain knowledge so quickly. He always said, “The learning never stops.” He started a business with son Travis called IDSM Distribution Services, Inc. that was awarded the Best in Business recognition award by FedEx Ground in 2012 and served as a Director on the Executive Committee Board at Continental Carbon until 2020. Don also served as Board Chairman of two Committees at The Manitowoc Company, Wisconsin as a certified NACD, and Board Leadership Fellow until his recent retirement at 72

Don’s wife of 46 years, Linda, passed away in 2015 but not before they both became involved as board members in the start up of Houston’s local Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), now called re:MIND that helps adults and children struggling with mental illness. It was at a planning for his 50th class reunion that Don would meet and eventually marry a former classmate from Brodhead High School, Mary Popanz Rundle. They wed in 2019 surrounded by their kids and grandkids in Naples, Florida where they promised to never replace each other’s spouse, embrace family and continue to enjoy the journey that life had in store for them. They continued to travel internationally as Don wanted to show Mary the world.

All through his life, Don enjoyed football, basketball, baseball, golf and anything that was a good game to watch no matter who was playing. He was a dedicated fan of all Badger sports, fully engrossing his family in each game with season tickets to the football games passed on from his father. He loved to play golf, travel, go to the theater and listen to music, study history but most of all watch his grandkids play anything while he made them brats & burgers on the grill. The very top of his list of favorite things was Family, he took great joy in organizing experiences to make lasting memories like trips to see Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, the Houston Zoo, Children’s Museum and Knox’s favorite, the dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History.

Don is carried on by his wife Mary Rundle Condon (Popanz), brother Jon and his wife Sue Condon (Becker); his daughters Kelly, Nicole (Williamson), and son Travis; his son-in-law Chad Williamson, daughter-in-law Alana (Warren); his step children, Kalen and Robin Marsden, Justin & Liz Rundle; his granddaughter Caroline Williamson and his grandson Knox Condon of Houston, TX; his step grandchildren Kinsley, Kennedy, Ansel and Tiegen of Wisconsin.

A memorial service celebrating his life is to be conducted at three o'clock in the afternoon on Saturday, the 8th of April, at St. Mark's Methodist Church, 600 Pecore Street in Houston, where Pastor Emily Chapman will officiate.

Immediately following; all are invited to greet the family and share remembrances during a reception in the grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in his name be directed to the University of Wisconsin Foundation (supportuw.org) or re:MIND (remindsupport.org). You may simply selected the desired link under "Donations" below.

We invite you to take a moment to share fond memories and words of comfort and condolence with his family by selecting the "Add A Memory" icon below.