Donald was born in Wausau, WI and moved with his mother to Chicago in the mid '30's. He graduated from Tilden Tech H. S. in 1948. While attending there he enrolled in the ROTC and was a valued member of the Rifle team.
He became a Marine by joining the Reserves while in High School. By the summer of 1950 he was promoted to sergeant. The training he received at the armory in Cicero and summers at Camp LeJune prepared him for the active duty he was called to in August, 1950. He was attending Wilson Jr. College at that time. After a few months of guard duty and more training at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, his outfit was deployed to Korea in Dec. '50. It was a long, hard winter of cold and deprivation. There he had command of an 81 mortar section and many times when the forward observer was wounded or killed, the job fell to him. He remarked on a revisit to Korea in
2000 that he had crossed that 38th parallel many times.
On his return to civilian life he met and married Doris Davis, an RN working at McNeal Hospital in Berwyn. He worked as a designer-draftsman for Electro-Motive, Linc Belt, Sergeant and Lundy and Kaiser Engineers. On leaving Kaiser in 1980 he became a home inspector, opening his own
business in 1988, Dean's Home Inspection, Inc. earning a reputation of thoroughness, helpfulness and honesty.
Don and Doris were blessed with 5 sons. He instilled in them the love of adventure and the outdoors by taking his family on 2 different summer' camping trips, in an unairconditioned VW bus, pulling a pop-up trailer. They toured the SW USA one year and the NW and Canada the next. The
trips are still favorite topics of discussion at family gatherings. Another topic that comes up at these times is AWANA, the boys and girls clubs at their church home, First Baptist of Downers Grove, IL where Don was first a leader, then Director and finally the Commander. He was part of that ministry for 20 some years. While attending there he was also a deacon, Sunday School teacher, usher and greeter. In 1988 he took on another profession. He went to "clown college" and
found his other persona, DINO. His favorite activities included performing skits, visiting hospital and nursing homes, doing balloons and face painting at picnics and most of all "marching" in parades behind a band where his bubble-blowing saxophone was a delight to young and old alike.
In 2004 Donald was diagnosed with kidney failure brought on by Multiple Myloma. Since that time he had been on nightly peritoneal dialysis and careful monitoring. He lost his long and valiant fight and went to be with his Savior May 18,2010.
Donald leaves behind his wife of 57 years, Doris, five sons, James Glenn (Tammy) of Andreas, PA, John Gregory of Baton Rouge, LA, Jeffrey Gordon (Wendy) of Lake Elmo, MN, Joseph Guy of Atlanta GA, and Jay Gary (Kristi) of Westmont, IL. The 10 grandchildren Elizabeth, Jennifer,
Jamie, Christopher, Jeffrey, Jeremy, Jared, Jillian, Jac1yn and Jessica will miss their Grandpa.
Donald was preceded in death by his mother, Katherene P. Dean and a granddaughter, Katie.
Visitation will be held on Friday, May 21, from 3 to 8 p.m. at Wheaton Evangelical Free Church, 520 E. Roosevelt Rd. in Wheaton, Illinois, where a service will be held on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Interment will be at Claredon Hills Cemetery in Westmont, Illinois.
Memorials may be directed to AWANA or Child Evangelism Fellowship.
Information and guest book is available at hultgrenfh.com or call Hultgren Funeral Home at 630-668-0027.