Donald R. Rigot

Don was preceded in death by his mother Alice C. Rigot, his father Alfred D. Rigot, his brother William E. Rigot, his sister Aleene Rigot, and Florence (Lyons) Rigot, his beloved wife of 66 years. Don is survived by his brother Joseph M. Rigot, his six children Donald R. Rigot, Jr (Cindy), Thomas S. Rigot (Sharon), Nancy Wendt (Frank), Joyce Bahorich (Jerry), Jeff Rigot (Kristy), and Carolyn Seabolt (Tony). Don was blessed with 15 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren and while at times he had a little trouble keeping their names straight, he sure loved being around them.

Don was born in Cleveland, OH and Cleveland was forever in his blood – the Browns, the Indians and the old Cuyahoga River. Don had a body built for athletics with powerful legs, strong arms, coordination, and a competitive spirit. When he was young, an almost pro fast-pitch softball team sought him out as a pitcher. When he winded up and launched that softball, it took off at sizzling speeds, almost knocking off his younger brother’s head when he practiced pitching with him in their backyard.

Don attended St. Philomena grade school, Cathedral Latin High School, and John Carroll University, all well-respected schools on the Eastside of Cleveland. At Latin, Don was an okay student but a really good football player. His specialty was punting. When he kicked that football with his powerful right leg, the ball would soar high and far. At Carroll, his punting played an important part in the team’s success. Don’s John Carroll team was the only John Carroll football team to enjoy an undefeated season. The most famous member of that team was Don Shula who coached the Miami Dolphins 26 years and is considered the winningest coach in NFL history.

One summer day Don, hurrying across John Carroll’s campus, ran into a visiting Bowling Green State coed named Florence. Infatuated with her, Florence soon became his wife on October 4, 1952. Before Don graduated from John Carroll his first child Don, Jr., was born soon followed by Tom. Don then graduated with a degree in marketing and along came Nancy, and a few years later Joyce, Jeff and Carolyn. They certainly had their hands full.

Don loved to play golf. His greatest golf memory was not the day he broke 80. It was the day in 1953 when he and two of his buddies were playing at a municipal course in Cleveland and Arnold Palmer, who at time was stationed at a Coast Guard facility in Cleveland, came up and asked if he could join them. Arnie played a couple of holes with them and then moved on as a singleton. They were very impressed with Arnie’s golf. In 1954, Arnie turned pro, and the rest is history.

What is most remembered about Don was his magnetic personality. To Don, every person he met was a potential friend. In 2019, Don and three of his kids returned to Cleveland for a nostalgic visit. They decided to have dinner in Cleveland’s famous Little Italy area. They were walking to their restaurant and passed an outdoor table of ten men enjoying glasses of Chianti and dishes of fettuccine. Someone yelled out, “Hey, ain’t you Donny Rigot?!” After 50 years, his kids were treated to stories of their dad’s shenanigans when he was a young man.

Initially, Graybar Electric hired Don in marketing and he rose to be a top salesman. After 12 years at Graybar, The H.B. Fuller Company lured Don away from Graybar. At Fuller, Don was General Manager of Fuller’s Kansas City Region. The move from Cleveland to Kansas City was tough on Flo and their children. They had strong affiliations with St. Margaret Mary’s Catholic Church and School, St. Joseph High School, Cleveland Heights High, and Regina Academy. In 1978, Fuller transferred Don to Atlanta. Don eventually became General Manager of Fuller’s Southern Region which, in addition to several sales offices, also had several manufacturing plants. After quite a successful career with Fuller, Don retired in 1995.

After retirement, Don and Flo continued to enjoy many beach vacations with their large and growing family on the Gulf in Long Boat Key, Florida. Many family holidays were spent at their home in Alpharetta. Don also spent a good bit of his time in retirement on the golf course perfecting his game. He even passed his love of golf on to a few of his grandchildren.

Don and Florence eventually moved to Village Park, a residential, independent care community in Alpharetta, Georgia. It was a good match as they enjoyed many events and meals with their fellow residents and Don, with that magnetic personality, soon had many new and cherished friends.

Fortunately, Don eventually met Martha Lower at Village Park and they became very special friends. They were good companions to each other and enjoyed several years of friendship at Village Park.

On May 31, there will be a private graveside service at Green Lawn Cemetery in Roswell, GA, where his family will gather for prayers and remembrances of Don.