Donald Peter Cento Sr.

He was born on November 2, 1935 in St. Louis, MO to Frank and Ruby Cento, the youngest of four siblings. Growing up on The Hill in St. Louis in the 1930s and 40s provided the backdrop to a youth full of stories that wouldn’t be out of place in a movie. Odd jobs, road trips, fishing, camping, hijinks with his older brother Joe. The stories and laughs were endless.

While studying history at St. Louis University, he was involved in an auto accident that required extensive surgery. The eventual success and quality of care he received inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. This career choice was the perfect vessel for his compassionate heart and keen intellect.

At University of Missouri School of Medicine he met Harriet Shrader and they married on June 11, 1960, in Caruthersville, Mo. He was her loving husband and companion for fifty-four years. They completed their family with two children, Angela and Don Jr.

After medical school he served his country in the US Army from 1963 to 1966, stationed at Letterman General Hospital on the Presidio base in San Francisco.

Life with Harriet took them from San Francisco to Michigan and finally back home to Missouri. They settled in Sikeston in 1980 where he served as pathologist at Missouri Delta Medical Center where he practiced until his retirement in 2015.

He enjoyed golf, reading, designing houses and spending time with his siblings and doting on his beloved nieces and nephews. In the 1980s, with the assistance of the Sikeston Optimist Club, he founded and almost single-handedly developed the Sikeston soccer program. Starting with two fields (which he lined by hand) the program has grown dramatically.

He will be remembered for his compassion, intellect, humor, accomplishments, service and dedication to his family, friends and God.

Don is survived by his son Don Jr. (Sylvia). He was preceded in death by his daughter Angela; his wife Harriet; both parents Frank and Ruby Cento; a sister Gloria M. Smith and brothers Frank J. Cento, Jr., and Dahl Joseph Cento (Dorothy).

The family would like to thank his amazing caregivers and the staff at Chateau Girardeau who gave him such comfort in his final days.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. followed by a funeral mass at 11:00 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Sikeston, MO.

A private interment will follow in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Sikeston, MO.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to, MO Delta Medical Center Foundation,1008 N. Main, Sikeston, MO 63801 or The Chateau Foundation, Memo: Employee Appreciation, 3120 Independence St, Cape Girardeau, MO 63703.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.nunneleefuneralchapel.com for the Cento family.