I am one of Don's cousins. I have been reminiscing about my memories of Don through the years. Growing up, he went by the name Jim or Jimmy and that is when many of my memories began. My family lived in Michigan so our visits were not as frequent as I would have liked but there were still many fond memories. I remember, particularly, that Don loved listening to major league baseball games and was an ardent fan of the Kansas City Athletics. He was also a lover of the older genre of country music, especially Don Williams. Don had perfect pitch and would, sometimes, play the piano but he had to coaxed to do that. I don't know if he played the piano privately or not but he was gifted. John and Bob, do you remember when we would go to church with you, your dad would drive Don's favorite route to get there? There was a small hill of some sort that we would ride over at just the right speed so that we bounced over it and Don loved it! Who would think that would become one of my fun memories as well! I also remember that Don could climb door frames really fast . After seeing him do that, I would try but always failed. In conversations with Don later in life, he often mentioned Mickey and his divorce and, of course, his death. Those were things he really had processing. I know that the loss of your parents was difficult for him and resulted in major life changes for him. I do believe that the later years of his life, the facility he lived in was a good place for him to be. He was well taken care of in a structured, caring environment that really met his needs. Both of you, Bob and John, made difficult but wise choices for his care options. Love to you and your families, Becky

Becky Penney