Donald Wayne Will, 84, native Texan, veteran, lover of old things that fly, and old things that don’t, passed on to his great reward on October 28, 2024. He once said, “I have four loves in my life: my wife, my stepdaughters, old airplanes, and old Indians – not necessarily in that order.”
The one real love of his life was former Miss Victoria, Susan Ganem Will. Married for 30 years, she passed away three years before him, and he mourned her loss for the rest of his life.
Don was born in Houston, Texas in 1940 to Arnold Fred Will and Mary Helen Michaelsen. He lost his father in a car accident at three years old and was raised by his mother. He was baptized Catholic and attended St. Philips school, where he was active in sports and scouting.
Don attended St. John’s Seminary and graduated from El Campo High School in 1959. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1961 and was a technician working on B-52 bombers. After his four-year hitch in the service, Don came to Victoria and “took the advice of an old man in a beer joint” and interviewed at Dupont. He retired after 33 years in maintenance.
Don’s service experience created a life-long love of old military airplanes and led to his association with the Texas Confederate Airforce. He also was an amateur archaeologist and enjoyed digging for artifacts at Fort St. Louis. Some of his “old Indian” finds are on display at the Museum of the Coastal Bend.
Don was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Susan; brothers, Durwood Arnold Will and Walter Verdine Will. He is survived by his stepdaughters, Catherine Jones (Bill), Elizabeth Kopecky (Alfred); grandchildren Katie Jane Kopecky, Poppy Kopecky, and Dodson Jones; nieces Patty Malamas, Janet Chanek, Peggy Wasicek, Lanelle Engstrom, Lori Cormier, Carol Alford.
Services at Rosewood Funeral Home, Friday, November 1, 2024 at 2 pm.
