Donald B Korb

Donald Baird Korb, lifelong Evansville resident, passed away on Saturday, March 30, 2019, at the age of 95. He was born on May 26, 1923, to Sylvester and Grace (Baird) Korb. He attended Stanley Hall and Bosse High School. Don attended Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he became a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity . He enlisted in the Navy in December, 1942, and was called to active duty in the Navy V-12 Unit at Wabash College in 1943. He left Wabash in February, 1944, to attend the Navy Supply Corps Midshipmen Officers School at the Harvard Business School where he was commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy Supply Corps. In 1945, Don left the Business School to serve his country in the Pacific Theatre/Okinawa Campaign on the fleet tanker AO50 USS Tallulah as the Supply and Disbursing officer. The Tallulah carried over 100,000 barrels of fuel oil and 500,000 gallons of aviation gas to supply the ships and planes of the Pacific fleet at sea. He also served during the occupation of Japan and Korea and visited China at the end of the war. In February, 1946, Don and Jean Ogle were married at First Presbyterian Church in Evansville. The Korbs returned to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Don finished his Masters in Business Administration degree at Harvard and then moved to Hamilton, New York. Don began his first job as an Instructor in Economics at Colgate University. The Korbs eventually returned to Evansville. Don then began his thirty-eight year career working with John H., John C., and Richard Schroeder at the Crescent, Cresline, and Wabash family of companies. Don served in a leadership capacity at the First Presbyterian Church of Evansville and the Evansville Museum. He also served on the Evansville Redevelopment Commission, the boards of Historic New Harmony and The Nature Conservancy/Indiana Chapter, the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center, Evansville Federal Savings, the Welborn Baptist Hospital and Foundation, and was a member of the University of Evansville Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition, he received the Wabash College Alumni Award of Merit, an Honorary Associate of Science Degree in College and Community Service from Ivy Tech Community College, an Honorary Alumnus Award from the University of Evansville, and the Evansville Museum Distinguished Service Award. Don was a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Evansville and was a founding member of the ROMEOs lunch group. Don was preceded in death by his parents, S.D. and Grace Baird Korb; Jean Ogle Korb his wife of 59 years; and his brother, Daniel F. Korb, Sr. He is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Anne and David Shane, Martha and Jon Goldman, and Sarah and Kevin Bain. He also leaves his dear grandchildren and their spouses and children: Ben and Kristin Shane and Dylan, Sydney, and Austin Shane; Molly and Tom Westwater and Ian and Andrew Baird Westwater; Elisabeth and Jared Nelson; Emily and Greg Murphy and James and Cecilia Murphy; Hannah Bain; and Andrew and Angie Bain. He is also survived by his brother, David J. Korb and his wife, Doris Korb, and his sister-in-law, Douglass Korb, and nephews. The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to Don’s primary caregiver, Felicia Avery, and to all the other members of his caregiving team. Visitation will be held on Saturday, April 6th, in the Fellowship Hall at First Presbyterian Church, 609 SE 2nd Street, Evansville, from 9-11 am CDT and the service will be held in the church sanctuary at 11:30 am, following the calling. Burial will be private. At the family’s request, contributions in honor of Don’s long and active life may be made to Wabash College, 418 West Wabash Avenue, Crawfordsville, IN 47933; First Presbyterian Church or to the Evansville Museum.