August 11, 2022
August 11, 2022
Rest in Peace
Because of friends and loved ones being scattered around the country, we are choosing to do this virtual website memorial in lieu of an in-person service. At a later date, we will have a small service when we inter his ashes at The French Church in Woolstock, Iowa. He will be laid to rest with his parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and numerous other family members.
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A Celebration of Life Reception
Saturday, October 22, 2022
2-4pm
Woolstock Community Hall, Woolstock, Iowa
RSVP by 10/14 to stacilanham@gmail.com
************
Please share your tributes (below), and memories & photos (under 'stories') as we celebrate Don's life. Be sure to browse the gallery for pictures of a full life with family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, please consider....
Donating Blood. Over the course of his 5-year illness from MDS (Myelodysplastic syndrome) and eventually leukemia, he received over 80 blood transfusions that we credit for keeping him alive for as long as it did. So in his memory, please consider donating blood. It not only saves lives, but extends them. Because of the generosity of donors, he was able to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary in June and his 75th birthday last month. Both milestones that we are grateful he was able to experience. If you donate, please share a photo here!
If you would like to make a financial donation in his name, please donate to the WWII Memorial Museum in New Orleans. His father Tom was a WWII veteran who was part of the waves at Omaha Beach.
Condolences can be sent to 14139 Bassingthorpe Dr, Spring Hill, FL 34609.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
His Journey’s Just Begun by Ellen Brenneman
Don’t think of him as gone away
his journey’s just begun,
life holds so many facets
this earth is only one.
Just think of him as resting
from the sorrows and the tears
in a place of warmth and comfort
where there are no days and years.
Think how he must be wishing
that we could know today
how nothing but our sadness
can really pass away.
And think of him as living
in the hearts of those he touched…
for nothing loved is ever lost
and he was loved so much.
When Great Trees Fall by Maya Angelou
When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.
When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.
When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance, fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance
of dark, cold
caves.
And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
************
A Celebration of Life Reception
Saturday, October 22, 2022
2-4pm
Woolstock Community Hall, Woolstock, Iowa
RSVP by 10/14 to stacilanham@gmail.com
************
Please share your tributes (below), and memories & photos (under 'stories') as we celebrate Don's life. Be sure to browse the gallery for pictures of a full life with family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, please consider....
Donating Blood. Over the course of his 5-year illness from MDS (Myelodysplastic syndrome) and eventually leukemia, he received over 80 blood transfusions that we credit for keeping him alive for as long as it did. So in his memory, please consider donating blood. It not only saves lives, but extends them. Because of the generosity of donors, he was able to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary in June and his 75th birthday last month. Both milestones that we are grateful he was able to experience. If you donate, please share a photo here!
If you would like to make a financial donation in his name, please donate to the WWII Memorial Museum in New Orleans. His father Tom was a WWII veteran who was part of the waves at Omaha Beach.
Condolences can be sent to 14139 Bassingthorpe Dr, Spring Hill, FL 34609.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
His Journey’s Just Begun by Ellen Brenneman
Don’t think of him as gone away
his journey’s just begun,
life holds so many facets
this earth is only one.
Just think of him as resting
from the sorrows and the tears
in a place of warmth and comfort
where there are no days and years.
Think how he must be wishing
that we could know today
how nothing but our sadness
can really pass away.
And think of him as living
in the hearts of those he touched…
for nothing loved is ever lost
and he was loved so much.
When Great Trees Fall by Maya Angelou
When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.
When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.
When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance, fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance
of dark, cold
caves.
And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
Tributes
Leave a tribute
August 8, 2022
August 8, 2022
I’m so sorry for your loss. Peggy and the family lived next door to us in Woolstock Ia. I remember Donnie when I was pretty little and then he moved away. I wish you peace and comfort in the days ahead and memories to hold in your hearts forever.
Connie Brock
Connie Brock
August 8, 2022
August 8, 2022
I remember Don as a kind, soft-spoken classmate of the EGHS class of 1965. I remember Don being very encouraging to others!
I so enjoyed seeing all of the photos of Don with his precious family.
My thoughts and prayers for all of Don’s family.
I so enjoyed seeing all of the photos of Don with his precious family.
My thoughts and prayers for all of Don’s family.
August 7, 2022
August 7, 2022
As friends of Don's sister, Peg, we send our condolences to the family. May you be comforted by the promise of eternal life and the love of family and friends from Bill Goings and Keith and Sherrill Rowland.
Leave a Tribute
Recent Tributes
August 11, 2022
August 11, 2022
Rest in Peace
August 8, 2022
August 8, 2022
I’m so sorry for your loss. Peggy and the family lived next door to us in Woolstock Ia. I remember Donnie when I was pretty little and then he moved away. I wish you peace and comfort in the days ahead and memories to hold in your hearts forever.
Connie Brock
Connie Brock
August 8, 2022
August 8, 2022
I remember Don as a kind, soft-spoken classmate of the EGHS class of 1965. I remember Don being very encouraging to others!
I so enjoyed seeing all of the photos of Don with his precious family.
My thoughts and prayers for all of Don’s family.
I so enjoyed seeing all of the photos of Don with his precious family.
My thoughts and prayers for all of Don’s family.
Gallery
Santa's helper
2004...his mother Ruth visited and we went to the WWII memorial in DC
Baseball games
His Life
Celebration of Life
August 12, 2022
by Staci Lanham
October 22, 2022
2-4pm
Woolstock Community Hall
Woolstock, Iowa
2-4pm
Woolstock Community Hall
Woolstock, Iowa
Don's Life (in his own words)
August 10, 2022
by Staci Lanham
(Dad was working on his life story for a Storyworth book I gifted him a couple of years ago. This is from his notes.)
I was born was born on July 3, 1947, at the Webster City, Iowa hospital. I was named Donald Duane Caquelin by my parents. I was one of the initial baby boomers.
The term "baby boomer" is derived from the boom in births that took place after the return of soldiers from WWII. Baby boomers emerged after the end of World War II when birth rates across the world spiked. The explosion of new infants became known as the baby boom. "Baby boomer" refers to a member of the demographically large generation born between the end of WWII and the mid-1960s. During the boom, 76 million babies were born in the United States alone.
My parents were Donald (Tom) Max Caquelin and Ruth Alberta Caquelin (Boucher). Dad was drafted into Army on November 18,1943 and discharged from the Army on December 2, 1945. He and Mom were married on July 26, 1946, in Minnesota. After their marriage, they lived in a little house that Dad built on the “Farm”. After I was born, I also lived in that house on the farm.
Mom and Dad moved the house to Webster City in 1948 (approximate). They had a basement built and the house was set on it. The address was 1240 Bank Street. The 1st picture was before the garage was added with Bruce and I. The second picture shows the added garage, my grandpa, Bruce, and part on me.
Early Years (1948 – 1955)
My first memory is when I was still a baby, and my mom was working in a garden(?) behind the house (1240 Bank St). I crawled away and got myself into a raspberry patch in our next-door neighbor’s yard. The older man who lived there saw me and tried to get me out of the patch but our dog (a Terrier named Tippy?) wouldn’t let him come near me. Mom finally got me out of the patch.
I remember we got a Black and White TV set and used an antenna to get TV signals. The TV would come on at 3 pm and go off around midnight. There were only 3 regular channels and some UHF channels. There was NO CABLE way back then.
I was born was born on July 3, 1947, at the Webster City, Iowa hospital. I was named Donald Duane Caquelin by my parents. I was one of the initial baby boomers.
The term "baby boomer" is derived from the boom in births that took place after the return of soldiers from WWII. Baby boomers emerged after the end of World War II when birth rates across the world spiked. The explosion of new infants became known as the baby boom. "Baby boomer" refers to a member of the demographically large generation born between the end of WWII and the mid-1960s. During the boom, 76 million babies were born in the United States alone.
My parents were Donald (Tom) Max Caquelin and Ruth Alberta Caquelin (Boucher). Dad was drafted into Army on November 18,1943 and discharged from the Army on December 2, 1945. He and Mom were married on July 26, 1946, in Minnesota. After their marriage, they lived in a little house that Dad built on the “Farm”. After I was born, I also lived in that house on the farm.
Mom and Dad moved the house to Webster City in 1948 (approximate). They had a basement built and the house was set on it. The address was 1240 Bank Street. The 1st picture was before the garage was added with Bruce and I. The second picture shows the added garage, my grandpa, Bruce, and part on me.
Early Years (1948 – 1955)
My first memory is when I was still a baby, and my mom was working in a garden(?) behind the house (1240 Bank St). I crawled away and got myself into a raspberry patch in our next-door neighbor’s yard. The older man who lived there saw me and tried to get me out of the patch but our dog (a Terrier named Tippy?) wouldn’t let him come near me. Mom finally got me out of the patch.
I remember we got a Black and White TV set and used an antenna to get TV signals. The TV would come on at 3 pm and go off around midnight. There were only 3 regular channels and some UHF channels. There was NO CABLE way back then.
Obituary
August 8, 2022
by Staci Lanham
Donald Duane Caquelin, age 75, of Spring Hill, FL, formerly of Woolstock, Iowa, and Baltimore, MD, passed away on Friday, August 5, 2022. Born on July 3, 1947 in Webster City, Iowa, he was the son of the late Tom and Ruth Caquelin. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, JuDee Caquelin; children Scott Caquelin and wife Kristen of Catonsville, MD, and Staci Lanham and husband Lonnie of Towson, MD; grandchildren Ian, Elliot, and Amelia; sister Peggy Caquelin of Columbia, MO; sister-in-law Marlys Caquelin of Hillsborough, NC, and preceded in death by his brothers, Bruce and Jimmy Caquelin.
As a 12 year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Don retired from Northrop Grumman in 2010 after 31 years of service. In his career as an electrical engineer, he served as program manager for the division that built the radar for the F-16 fighter plane. He earned the Northrop Grumman President’s Leadership Award in 1999 and 2008.
Memory tributes can be left on his memorial website: www.forevermissed.com/donald-d-caquelin.
This obituary will run in The Baltimore Sun, The Hernando Sun, Fort Dodge Messenger, and The Freeman Journal.
As a 12 year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Don retired from Northrop Grumman in 2010 after 31 years of service. In his career as an electrical engineer, he served as program manager for the division that built the radar for the F-16 fighter plane. He earned the Northrop Grumman President’s Leadership Award in 1999 and 2008.
Memory tributes can be left on his memorial website: www.forevermissed.com/donald-d-caquelin.
This obituary will run in The Baltimore Sun, The Hernando Sun, Fort Dodge Messenger, and The Freeman Journal.
Recent stories
Friends forever - Bev and Jay Gillette
August 18, 2022
I worked with JuDee starting in 1988 at HCFA in Baltimore and we soon became friends. I remember meeting Don at our open house in Laurel, MD soon afterwards. One of the menu items we served was a crockpot full of taco Chilli to be served over chips with nacho cheese and Don asked where the bowls were! He became a fan and JuDee got the recipe for many future uses :) Jay and I bonded with Don and JuDee over golf and spent several weekends traveling around MD and PA in our ventures to golf courses, wine festivals, etc. We all eventually retired and actually landed in Florida together about 2 hours apart. We visited one another for many years over golf, travel, politics, food and fun until Don really wasn't comfortable traveling any longer. We'll miss Don but will always remember him and faithfully keep our friendship alive with JuDee.
Save a Life. Extend a Life.
August 11, 2022
by Staci Lanham
Today, Don's daughter Staci and grandson Ian donated blood in his honor.
Don's Advice for his family
August 9, 2022
by Staci Lanham
Dad was a man of little words when it came to his family. But this was something he gave to all of us in the last couple months of his life.
Life's Road
"Every minute someone leaves this world behind. We are all in “the line” without knowing it. We never know how many people are before us.
We can not move to the back of the line.
We can not step out of the line.
We can not avoid the line.
So while we wait in line -
Make moments count.
Make priorities.
Make the time.
Make your gifts known.
Make a nobody feel like a somebody.
Make your voice heard.
Make the small things big.
Make someone smile.
Make the change.
Make love.
Make up.
Make peace.
Make sure to tell your people they are loved.
Make sure to have no regrets.
Make sure you are ready"
"Every minute someone leaves this world behind. We are all in “the line” without knowing it. We never know how many people are before us.
We can not move to the back of the line.
We can not step out of the line.
We can not avoid the line.
So while we wait in line -
Make moments count.
Make priorities.
Make the time.
Make your gifts known.
Make a nobody feel like a somebody.
Make your voice heard.
Make the small things big.
Make someone smile.
Make the change.
Make love.
Make up.
Make peace.
Make sure to tell your people they are loved.
Make sure to have no regrets.
Make sure you are ready"
I don't know that we are ever ready, never knowing when, prepared might have been the better word for the author to use. I try, when possible, to not put off until tomorrow what I can do today.