Donald F. Barnett 1944-2024

Donald was born Aug. 24, 1944, in Youngstown, the youngest son of the late George and Alice Dempsey Barnett.

He graduated from Ursuline High School in 1962. He served the country on active duty in the Army from 1965 to 1967 and was enlisted in the Army Reserve until 1971.

Donald matriculated at Youngstown State University in 1970 and received his degree in economics. He worked for Colgate-Palmolive for 30 years and retired in 2000. He was inducted into the Colgate Hall of Fame.

The “Silver Fox” enjoyed coaching his sons and many other Little Leaguers in baseball from 1982 to 1994. He coached his sons fifth through eighth-grade basketball teams at St. Raphael’s school. He worked many years as a starter and a ranger at Naperville’s Springbrook Golf Course.

Donald was married to Carole for 53 years and together they raised two successful sons. In addition to living in Naperville, Illinois, they previously resided in Bloomington, Minnesota; Villa Park, Illinois; and Memphis, Tennessee. They retired to the Las Vegas area, enjoying golf, bowling, making new friends and frequenting casinos.

He was proud of his work with Knights of Columbus No. 13456, St. Francis of Assisi Council, where he became a 4th degree Knight. He was also named “Knight of the Year” and received the honor of “Family of the Year.”

He was a loving husband, father and a huge fan of the Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, White Sox and the Las Vegas Golden Knights. He continued to have a love for his home team, the Cleveland Browns.

Donald was predeceased by his wife, Carole, his parents and his older sister, Barbara.

He is survived by his two sons, Dr. Sean (Desiree) Barnett of Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Nicholas (Stephanie) Barnett of St. John, Indiana; five grandchildren, George, Anne, Gavin, Gwen and Darren; his brother-in-law, Louis H. Pumphrey Jr.; and beloved nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, at St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church in Henderson, Nevada.

A committal service will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, at Calvary Cemetery Chapel, 248 S. Belle Vista Ave., Youngstown. All are welcome to attend.

The family would like to acknowledge the Nathan Adelson staff at The Walter L. Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care for the excellent care they provided.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada, 6960 O’Bannon Drrive, Las Vegas, NV 89117, DSOSN@dsosn.org.

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