Donald Don Joseph Baker

Donald Joseph Baker, 57, of Phoenix, Arizona, went to be with the Lord March 26, 2010 with his wife by his side. Donald was born on August 28, 1952 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Don is survived by his loving wife, Barbara Joy Constantine Baker; daughter Jessica Joy Stevens (Joel), grandchildren Calvin, 11 and Allyson, 6, of Phoenix. His beloved siblings Robert Raymond Baker, Jr., Patrick James Baker (Karen), Barbara Ann Pennington (Lee), Raymond Anthony Baker (Linda) and Mary Frances Williams (Windford), several nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, located in various states in the Midwest, also survive. Don was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Sr. and Florence Seyfried Baker.

Don attended Sacred Heart of Jesus Grade School, Indianapolis and graduated from Roncalli High School, Indianapolis in 1970. He graduated from Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. Don taught first and second grade at St. Barnabas School in Greenwood, Indiana for five years. Deciding to completely change careers Don entered into the restaurant business as a server, manager, and general manager. He had great success in Indianapolis working for Steak and Ale, Spaghetti Factory, and Grandma Goodes. With Don’s unique management skills, superior customer service and love for his new endeavor, he was fortunate to manage restaurant establishments in Cincinnati, Columbus, Ohio, St. Louis, Nashville, Minneapolis, and Honolulu. One of Don’s career highlights was receiving the award for “General Manager of the Year” 1983 at the Spaghetti Factory in Indianapolis. He is a permanent part of the restaurant’s history as his name is engraved on the trophy.

Upon retirement from the restaurant business, Don used his many skills for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis at Fatima Retreat House. In 2003, Don relocated to Phoenix, to not only escape the winter weather in Indianapolis but to be reunited with his “best friend” Barbara after a 25 year separation. They remarried in 2004. Don’s most enjoyable “employment” was being a grandfather and “nanny” to his granddaughter Allyson for the first two years of her life and providing after school and summer daycare for grandson Calvin. Many Phoenix residents have probably had contact with Don if they visited or called the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department. Since 2005, Don was the cheery, friendly, knowledgeable voice you would talk to when calling, or encounter as a visitor the Parks and Recreation Department. His infectious laugh and ability to go the extra mile for visitors and callers made the day brighter for all those who came in contact with Don. Don was friends with everyone!

Don and Barbara enjoyed being together, and they loved to travel and volunteer. They volunteered at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, the 1996 and 2008 Super Bowls held in Phoenix, the Arizona Aloha Festival in Phoenix and many other events. One of Don’s favorite volunteer experiences was the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy in 2006. Don was assigned to the main press center, and again provided excellent service to the world press covering the event. He was to have assumed the same responsibilities and provide the same excellent service at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver; however, Don and Barbara watched the Olympics from their room overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the Pointe at Poipu in Kauai, Hawaii. So instead of snow, rain and cold they enjoyed the games while listening to the waves crash upon the volcanic cliffs and feel the warm tropical breeze of Hawaii.

Don enjoyed playing Bingo, going to Las Vegas and gardening, although he never quite got the hang of “desert gardening.” His valiant efforts were not wasted as the flowers gave both Don and Barbara enjoyment, and allowed granddaughter Allyson to pick numerous bouquets for “Nana and PopPop.” Don spent many hours with the grandchildren, taking them to movies, amusement parks, Encanto Park in Phoenix, playing dolls and ponies with Ally, building Lego structures and going to the origami club with Calvin, or just swinging on the porch talking and telling stories. Don loved football; he had season tickets to the Arizona Cardinals and followed his “home team” the Colts.

Visitation will be held at A.L. Moore-Grimshaw Mortuary, 710 West Bethany Home Road in Phoenix on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 from 6-8 p.m. with a rosary at 7:00 p.m. The Catholic Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 4715 North Central Avenue in Phoenix on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 10:00 a.m., with interment at St. Francis Cemetery, 2033 North 48th Street in Phoenix immediately following mass.

The family would like to thank Hospice Team B, the home team, and all the staff at Coronado Home for the warmth, guidance, comfort, friendship, and loving care that they gave Don and extended to his family. This was very reassuring to Barbara, Jessica, and Don’s siblings, Barb, Mary, and Ray, who were here for his final days. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Don’s memory to Hospice of the Valley, Coronado Home, 340 East Coronado Road, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

A Memorial Mass will be held at a later date in Indianapolis, Indiana.

BIOGRAPHY

Don started writing his autobiography in his own words. His wife completed his life story with input from siblings.

This is about a loving, kind man who, as a child, learned that laughter goes a long way in resolving conflicts. This man loved to laugh and play jokes. He did it even before entering grade school, it continued to high school, and it carried over into his adult years. That is what everyone loved about this man.

Donald Joseph Michael Baker was born on August 28, 1952 at St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. Don lived the majority of his life in Indianapolis with his parents, Robert and Florence Baker and his five siblings. Don has two older brothers, Robert Jr., and Patrick, and one younger brother, Raymond. He also has an older sister, Barb and younger sister Mary. As he grew up and finished school, his career started to blossom and he began moving around.

The Baker family rented a house on Union Street for $75 dollars a month back then. They had coal heat because it was not expensive but after it burns it turns to klinkettes [spelling?] and you have to take it out and put it in tubs to cool and then it went to the trash. The tubs were very heavy.

Don grew up four blocks from Sacred Heart Catholic Church. He was baptized there on September 7, 1952 with his Uncle Donald (his dad’s brother and his namesake) and Aunt Frances. He attended school there and was confirmed on May 9, 1960 with his Uncle Clarky as his sponsor. He also served as an alter boy at Sacred Heart Church.

Don shared some memories with me (his wife). One included eating dinner in the kitchen. His dad said, “Can you toss me a roll?” Don literally tossed it to him. His Dad got up and chased Don around the room. He had to apologize. It was just Don’s way of being funny. Don remembered they ate at the dining room table for breakfast and the refrigerator was in the dining room. His mom had a ringer washer and hung the clothes in their huge backyard to dry.

Don’s mother started working at Merchant’s National Bank when Don was in 5th grade. He didn't like his mom working at first but she had to go to work to pay for college “for the boys.”

Don’s father first worked on the railroad. That was the “family” job; Don’s grandpa was a conductor, and two uncles were railroaders. But his Dad’s main job was at Eli Lilly's. He was a supervisor for insulin extraction – one stinky place. He was best at not working at all. He was well loved by his guys/employees. He was a supervisor and did really good job. He worked midnight to 8 a.m.

Don remembered going as a family to Riverside Amusement Park in Indianapolis, drive in movies, St. Louis and Cincinnati. Going to the drive in was crowded but not chaotic with six kids. They had a station wagon, the kids laid up on the roof; and his Mom took snacks and also bought some there.

Lots of cousins lived in the Sacred Heart neighborhood. They would play baseball at the commons, which was about 4 blocks from their house. It had softball, and whiffle ball; they played kickball in the schoolyard. When the church bells started ringing, that was their signal to be home for dinner or you wouldn't get any dinner, but that really didn't happen very much. They went to the library a lot, walked to Garfield Park and just hung out there. The park had a creek and a bandstand. Don liked to walk along the creek; it was a fun thing to do. He also played a lot with his friends, Boyce Balwin and Rose Springman.

Growing up Don was in Boy Scouts from 5th grade thru high school. The best Cub Scout adventure was the time that one of his teachers, who was an astronomer; took them camping near Martinsville. They ate dinner cooked over the campfire and then they went over to lie down on their backs and look up at the sky. The teacher was able to point out to them all the constellations. “It was really cool; you could see the big star, the big dipper.” The scouts went on weekend camping trips as the archdiocese had a campground that parishes could rent for overnight trips. Don remembered one trip where he built a latrine because he was working on earning a merit badge.

One of Don’s favorite activities as a kid was playing priest. He was the priest and the kids in the neighborhood were the congregation. They’d get together and Don would use 2 old sheets; one for the inner garment and one for the outer garment. He had bread and took a glass outside to make it look like host; he took grape juice for communion. He had alter boy experience so it kind of came natural for him to play priest. He always got the heads up for alter boy because he knew how to say the Our Father in Latin even though he never took Latin in school. Don’s parents encouraged him to be involved in doing things with the church. However, they never encouraged him to pursue the priesthood (direct quote from Don: “much to my wife’s approval as I would have never met Barbara.”)

As a kid, Don played whiffle ball in the backyard a lot. He would set up a tent in the backyard and play Indians. He spent the night out in the yard once. Some other activities Don enjoyed as a child included Chutes and Ladders, Checkers, Chinese Checkers. He didn't watch TV; there wasn’t much on back then. Don talked of a hideout in the backyard. It was the coal bin where they stored the coal. He had access to it from a bedroom. He could crawl out of the window and go down there and hang out. It was really messy but he didn't think about being messy at the time. The other hideout was in the bushes along the fence in the alley. It was a place kind of like a covered area. He could only get in thru one spot. He’d sit in there and read. His favorite movie as a kid was How The West Was Won.

Don had many favorite things and hobbies. He loved to bowl. Between the ages of 5 and 10, his favorite activity was reading. He liked going to the library; it was a nice walk and he could go there and hang out. Don delivered newspapers at one point in his younger years. Since he loved to read he would read the paper. He read the comics and then it turned into reading the paper. Don loved reading comic books as a kid. This continued into his adulthood. As a grandfather, Don introduced comics to his grandson, Calvin, by reading the Sunday comics to him on weekends that Calvin spent with Don and Barbara.

Don’s love for travel started at an early age. One Friday night in the summer when Don was 11, he called a cab at 9:00 p.m. but told them NOT to pick him up until 10:00 p.m. and to make sure they DIDN’T honk the horn when they picked him up. He went to get money and shorts as he had things packed. Don took money from his Mom’s purse and his Dad’s pocket. In Bob and Pat’s room, they always had money in their baseball jackets. "I got $20-30 dollars from them; I had a total of $100 for my adventure. I was sitting on the front porch with my things when the cab arrived." When asked where he wanted to go, Don said the bus station.

When Don got to the bus station he bought a ticket to Chicago. There were lots of stops on that six-hour bus ride. When they stopped in Gary, he thought to himself, “What am I doing.” He didn't have a backup plan. In Chicago Don got off the bus, got his luggage and tried to find a cab station. It wasn’t very crowded that time of morning. Don asked the cab driver to take him to …. he didn't know where he wanted to go so that was a sign to the cab driver to call the police. They took Don to the police station in a police car; Don wasn't excited about it. He did wonder what he was going to do now. The police took Don to the juvenile detention facility and called his Dad. Don’s Dad wasn't very happy at all; in the meantime Don fell asleep. He eventually talked to his Dad on the phone. His dad didn't yell at him; he told him he was a stupid person. Mom, Dad, Barb, Ray, and Mary came to get Don. Don saw his Dad first and hugged him and he started crying. He told his dad he was very sorry; Don’s Dad said, “Don’t you ever do that again,” to which Don replied, “I won’t.” Don started crying when saw his Mom; he told her “I love you very much.” Then they all went out to breakfast and drove back to Indianapolis.

When Don was 12, his parents drove Ray and him to Chicago to catch a train to Flagstaff, Arizona. From Chicago to Flagstaff, they had recliner chairs for the 3-day trip. They ate in the dining car and usually sat in the observation deck, which was a lot of fun. But they had to deal with uncomfortable chairs. Don thought the conductor forgot their stop in Flagstaff and he got real panicky. After all, he was watching out for his little brother.

Don’s Aunt Grace and Uncle Raymond lived in Sun City, Arizona. They spent a very hot six weeks there that summer. They were like little celebrities; their Aunt and Uncle showed off their nephews from Indiana. They did have two three-wheel bikes so they could tour around the area and Don and Ray did swim a lot. Their Aunt did laundry and hung it on the clothesline and within minutes, it was dry because it was 114 degrees. They also spent time at their Aunt Graces’ sister’s house because she had a pool and a dachshund.

Their aunt and uncle flew back to Indianapolis with them so they could avoid the hottest part of the desert summer.

Back in Indianapolis, Don liked to go downtown a lot. He would take the bus to go to the Main library and read. When Don was 16, he remembers taking the bus downtown; his mother worked downtown and he would meet her for lunch. Sometimes they went to Blocks, Wassons, Ayers; these were all 8-story buildings with fancy restaurants. Don liked going downtown to the Indiana or Circle Theater. It wasn’t like going to a big production going downtown on the bus. He thought it was fun to hop on the bus, go to Murphy’s to get a bag of juby jells [spelling?] for 30 cents and take bus back home.

Some of Don’s treasured possessions included Grandma Baker’s fern stand which she gave to him. When his Aunt Angie passed away, the Baker kids got together to divide up her possessions; Don chose Aunt Angie’s cedar chest. Don’s Aunt Frances always knew he liked her Fiestaware collection a lot. Don told her if something ever happened, would she let him buy the dishes from her. And he did. Don also has the original price list from 1939 from the hotel where she purchased the dishes.

As far as school went, Don loved reading class the most. He did participate in choir from 2nd to 8th grade. Each year, the groups of catholic grade schools had a sing along at Butler Fieldhouse. In 7th or 8th grade, Don got his first job--setting pins at the bowling lanes at Sacred Heart School. He received 10 cents a pin. The bowling alley was a good income for the school and Germans liked to bowl; this was the social fiber of the church at that time.

From 7th through 12th grade, Don was a member of the school’s Science Club, Math Club, and Chess Club. Don attended John F. Kennedy and Roncalli High School. Don participated in the choir on Sundays during high school and was the student manager of the sophomore baseball team. Don took one semester of band playing the trumpet; he didn't like that so he quit.

Don’s favorite teacher was Sister Jean Marie; she taught French. He had a good friend at the time named Kenny Eder. Sister took a lot of time with the students and was very patient with all of theme. “Kenny spoke French very well; I couldn’t even conjugate verbs.”

During Don’s senior year at Roncolli, he was a member of the drama and tennis club. He didn't like tennis because the teacher made him run and he didn't like it even though he wanted to play tennis. Through Drama Club, he was in the play The Lottery. The play was about citizens in this one town who would get together once a year. They would gather a bag of rocks and pull someone’s name from a container. Then the citizens of the town stoned that person for no reason. Don played the judge; his role was to convince the townspeople to stop the lottery but they wouldn’t. Don graduated from Roncolli in 1970.

After high school, Don wanted to attend Purdue University; he knew he wasn’t going to be a priest. He was rejected from Purdue as his PSAT scores weren’t that great. He even took the test over and his score didn't improve that much. So Don decided to go to Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana where he graduated in 1974 with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education.

While studying to be an elementary school teacher, Don joined the Golf Team. He attempted to play the silent piano in college, but that just didn't work out. You would have had to be there to understand the silent piano or ask Barbara as she was in the class as well.

Don met Barbara at Ball State in a reading class. He thought she had a pretty smile, nice black hair, she giggled and he just enjoyed being with her. They didn't start dating until much later but since Barbara had a car at school their freshman year, Don would often hitch a ride home for the weekends. Don’s parents always brought him back to school.

On their first official date, Don invited Barbara to dinner and to see a movie, “The Way We Were.” Don proposed to Barbara on her birthday, one year later. He took her to the top of Hilton Hotel in downtown Indianapolis, to the Beef Barons Restaurant. Don remembers having nice steaks, great service, and a couple glasses of wine. They talked about their futures, what they wanted to do, where their lives would take them. Then he proposed. He didn't have a ring, but he knew he was planning to propose when he asked her out. Don had fears and expectations about getting married. He wondered if he would be able to move up to the task of being married—would he be a good husband, faithful, all those things he thought he should be. He knew he would always love Barbara as much as she loved him.

Don’s bachelor party was “quite interesting.” They played cards and then we went down to the Red Garter which is a [the kind of bar males go to for these parties]. Barbara’s dad was wearing an apron; all of a sudden during the party he pulled out a [left to reader’s discretion] and everyone busted out laughing.

On the last day of school in 1976, the teachers at St. Barnabas School where Don taught 2nd grade, all went to Bob Evans for breakfast. It was actually a party comparable to a bridal shower but for Don. Don received a hand-painted picture, tools, and other guy stuff. He was very surprised.

The day before the wedding, Don picked up his white tux and shoes, got a haircut and checked on the reservations for the rehearsal dinner. Don called Barbara while sitting on the swing of his parent’s home to tell her how much, “I love you.” After the rehearsal and dinner they went to Barbara’s parent’s house to open some gifts and visit with relatives from out of town.

Don and Barbara first married on June 26, 1976 at Sacred Heart Church in Indianapolis. When Don first saw Barbara walking down the aisle, “I thought you were the most beautiful girl in the world” and he got all choked up.

Don taught 2nd grade for two years and 1st grade for three years at St. Barnabas Catholic School in Greenwood, Indiana. During college and while teaching, Don worked part-time as a waiter/server with the Jolly Ox where he had to wear knickers and a funny shirt. Later the restaurant was renamed Steak & Ale. Don taught school for five years, then he accepted a management position with Steak & Ale. After five years in Nashville, he felt he wasn’t going anywhere.

Don was interviewed by John Dew, director of operations with The Old Spaghetti Factory. Don admired John Dew because he showed a lot of faith in him. They had dinner and Don told John he was impressed with the restaurant. Two days later, John called and offered Don the job of manager of the Indianapolis store that wasn’t even opened yet.

Don was sent to St. Louis to train; that was the biggest plum on his plate as it’s the busiest restaurant in the chain. Don worked hard and did a good job. He was later transferred to Nashville to get experience there and then came back to Indianapolis to hire staff for the restaurant. Don did a good job there; three weeks after the restaurant opened in Indianapolis, Don was offered the position of General Manager. In his first year with the Old Spaghetti Factory, he won his biggest honor of his career – Manager of the Year, 1983. The following year, Don was offered the position of General Manager of the Honolulu store.

Don told this story to his wife. One evening, the restaurant was packed and Don was coming downstairs to go to the bar. He saw a guy with a wrapped package – Don thought someone was having a birthday. Then he heard screaming in the lobby. He looked down and saw a box of white mice the ‘birthday’ guy dropped in the lobby. He was a disgruntled customer. Employees were sweeping up mice and dumping them in bleach water. Don had to comp a lot of dinners that night. He called John Dew to report the incident. The next day in the Indianapolis Star newspaper, there was a headline, “Which downtown restaurant was visited by mice and flies?” It was just mice; not flies.

Most of Don’s career was at The Old Spaghetti Factory. When Don had to go to working part-time, he found a position at The Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Fatima Retreat Center as an administrative aide. Don loved that job. He got the opportunity to attend many retreats and meet and greet lots of visitors and guests.

Kevin DePrey director of Fatima Retreat House in Indy was one of Don’s favorite people. Kevin said when he saw me he knew he was going to hire me. Kevin had lots of patience, a lot of faith in Don, and was very understanding.

Barbara was the reason Don moved to Phoenix. He wanted to reconcile with Barbara and remarry. During their 25-year separation, Barbara adopted a 10-year old girl, Jessica, who Don embraced as if she was his own. Don came to Phoenix often to visit Barbara and Jessica. Then Jessica had Calvin, the first grandchild. Don immediately fell in love and has forever been called PopPop. Don’s visits to Phoenix became more frequent as he missed Barbara, Jessica, and Calvin.

It was Jessica’s wedding to Joel in 2003 that gave Don the opportunity to repropose to Barbara on their daughter’s wedding night.

Don spent three months traveling between Indianapolis and Phoenix. During his late September trip, granddaughter Allyson was born. Never having had children of his own, Don embraced this baby and fell in love instantly. Don proposed to Jessica and Joel that he watch Allyson so they didn't have to put the 6-week old baby in daycare. It was an instant deal and later that same day, Don called Fatima and resigned his position.

Don has two grandchildren by Jessica and Joel Stevens. Calvin Michael Baker, born 9/23/98 and Allyson Joy Stevens, 10/1/03.

Don and Barbara were remarried at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 27, 2010, with many family members there. Completing Don’s family was Mason, a beautiful Bassett hound that he had for approximately 10 years. Mason was so important to Don that when Don made his move to Phoenix, he took Mason along.

Don had many hobbies and interests:

§ Bingo

§ Gardening

§ Reading

§ Astronomy

§ Time with grandkids

§ Traveling

§ Slot machines at casinos

§ Playing cards and board games

§ Yard work

§ Cooking

§ Watching football (Go Colts)

§ Attending all of the Arizona Cardinal games

§ Watching Basketball

§ Olympic sports, winter and summer

Favorite vacation spots for Don and Barbara included: Sedona, Arizona, San Diego, California, the New England states, Utah, Atlanta, Italy. One of Don’s favorite vacations was in 2006. Don and Barbara volunteered at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. They stayed afterwards to see more of Italy.

Don’s job at the Olympics was a press assistant in the main press area. There were long tables and chairs for approximately 300 sports, magazine and newspaper writers. There were about 90 televisions. Don’s job was to push in chairs, clean off desks, and turn the TV to whatever channel the writers wanted to watch. And he did it with a smile on his face.

This experience allowed Don and Barbara to also travel to Milan, Venice, Rome, the Vatican, Assisi which houses the burial place of St. Francis. They also visited Florence, a leather school housed in Santa Croce Church. Don also climbed all 300 steps (Barbara counted them) to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa because he knew that was one of Barbara’s dreams. He didn't want her to go alone.

After two years of PopPop daycare, Don decided he needed to be around adults again. He was hired part-time at the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department as an Information Clerk. He held that position until December 2, 2009, when a massive blood clot put Don in the hospital for the last time.

Politically, Don was a strong supporter of the Democrat Party. He liked to work at the polls on Election Day. He refused to vote by mail; he had to go to the polling place. He watched all the talk shows that were politically motivated. When Don had to have major surgery scheduled for Election Day in November 2008, Don had Barbara tape 18 hours of coverage. After surgery, he had to start another round of chemo. His first day of chemo was on Inauguration Day January 2009 and the chemo center did NOT have a television. Again we taped it. Don watched every minute of the election and inauguration while recuperating!

Don has been a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church for 57 years. When he moved to Phoenix he and Barbara joined St. Francis Xavier Catholic Faith Community.

In his spare time, Don liked to work in the yard, take the grandkids to the park, go to movies, visit the Phoenix zoo, go to Knott’s Berry Farm [Don told Barbara that “I’ll always remember that”], California beaches, Disneyland, go with the grandkids to Castles and Coasters [amusement park in Phoenix]. Don remembered going to the Rose Bowl Football game with Barbara and her mom. Notre Dame lost that game against Arizona State University.

Don never retired. He loved working with people. Don’s last job was with the Parks and Recreation Department with the City of Phoenix.

Even after Don got his final diagnosis on December 21, 2009, Don still talked about going back to work. It took him several weeks to realize he was too weak to go back to work and would rather spend time with his family.

Don and Barbara traveled after Don got his diagnosis. They went to Indianapolis, Washington, DC with Calvin, Las Vegas to watch the Super Bowl, Tempe to see Mary Poppins with Allyson. Their final trip was to Hawaii, the island of Kauai.

Don passed away on Friday, March 26, 2010 at Hospice of the Valley Coronado House in Phoenix, Arizona of colorectal cancer. Don is survived by his loving wife, Barbara Joy Constantine Baker; daughter Jessica Joy Baker Stevens (Joel), grandchildren Calvin and Allyson of Phoenix. His beloved siblings Robert Raymond Baker, Jr., Patrick James Baker (Karen), Barbara Ann Pennington (Lee), Raymond Anthony Baker (Linda) and Mary Frances Williams (Windford), several nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, located in various states in the Midwest, also survive. Don was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Sr. and Florence Seyfried Baker.

Services were held at St. Xavier Catholic Faith Community Church; Don was laid to rest at St. Francis Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona on March 31, 2010.

Don loved working with people and solving problems. He was able to do that with his family and his work. Don was someone who relied on clear, concrete information; he wanted the facts. Don used his common sense to create practical solutions to problems. Depending on Don’s job, he was able to use his imagination and identify new solutions to problems. He was also always looking for future possibilities.

Don felt comfortable jumping into action and planning on the go. He was very sensitive to others and always strived to avoid conflict. He made decisions based on his feelings. He liked to live a free and flexible life that included laughter. And that is what he did!