Charles Donald (Don) Stahl, 92, passed away April 22, 2024. Don was born in Dallas, Texas during the Great Depression to immigrant parents, I.L. (Louis) and Sarah Stahl. He lived in Dallas his entire life. After earning a BBA in Accounting from SMU, he served two years in the U.S. Army. While stationed at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, Don met his true love, Elaine Nebenzahl and they married in 1955.
Elaine and Donny (as she affectionately called him) settled in Dallas, where he joined his father in what was then Lone Star Coffee Co. and Stahl Manufacturing Co. on South Ervay Street. The father and son team grew the business into what became Lone Star Institutional Grocers, for many years a leading broadline foodservice distributor supplying restaurants and institutions throughout DFW and north Texas, until Don’s retirement in 1998 when he sold Lone Star to a Fortune 500 competitor. Don always left work to be home in time for dinner, not only because Elaine was a wonderful cook, but because Donny was a devoted husband and father to their two children, Susan and Bennett. Don loved and adored his children. He and Elaine raised Susan and Bennett in a home marked by kindness, love, intellectual curiosity, and devotion to Shabbos dinner every Friday night, and the Dallas Cowboys every Sunday. Don and Elaine, with their lifelong friends Fred and Naomi, held season tickets to the Cowboys from the early Cotton Bowl years, continuously for decades. Don and Elaine were longtime members of Congregation Shearith Israel, where Don served as congregation President in the early 1980’s during a period of major expansion. Don and Elaine’s great joy later in life was spending time with their three grandchildren, Louis, Debra and Matt, frequently having them spend the night, attending their school events, and traveling together and with each grandchild separately on sightseeing trips to New York, Washington and elsewhere. Don and Elaine lovingly celebrated their 65th anniversary in 2020.
Don was preceded in death by his beloved wife Elaine Stahl, and his brothers Sidney Stahl and Harvey Stahl. Don is survived by his sister Helen Rosenberg; daughter Susan Stahl and wife Jane Stepak; son Bennett Stahl and wife Shelly; grandson Louis Stahl and wife Debbi; granddaughter Debra Stahl; grandson Matt Stahl, and great-grandchildren Elliott Stahl and Nathan Stahl.
A graveside service will be held on Sunday, April 28 at 11:00 am at Shearith Israel Cemetery on Dolphin Road in Dallas, with Rabbi Shira Wallach and Cantor Itzhak Zhrebker officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Congregation Shearith Israel.
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