Donald Ray Janak

Donald was born in Trinidad, Texas, to Agnes and John Janak on July 6, 1937. He grew up in Dallas, Texas, with his parents, older brother John David, and twin sister Dorothy May. He graduated from Highland Park High School in 1955, University of Texas in Austin in 1959, and University of Texas Medical Branch in 1963. After Medical school, he served two years in the army, stationed in Germany which is where he first met Joan Elizabeth Eldridge. After returning from Germany, he did his residency at the University of Virginia, and he and Joan were married on June 28, 1969 in Buckingham, VA. Joan and Donald made Dallas, TX their home and had one daughter, Ann Blair, in 1971. They were long-time members of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas.

Donald’s professional career was as a radiologist at St. Paul Medical Center, in Dallas, Texas, where he was a partner in the Diagnostic Radiology practice and retired in 2001.

Don loved to travel and was a generous supporter of the arts. Over the years, he traveled extensively in the United States and Europe, as well as Egypt, Costa Rica, Israel, and Canada. A favorite and coveted vacation spot for Don, Joan, and Ann was always Santa Fe, NM where they frequently spent holidays and summer vacations. Donald devoted many hours to visiting his favorite New Mexican art galleries and museums where he never came out empty-handed, always finding some treasure to add to his many collections. He loved attending the opera at the beautiful, renowned Santa Fe Opera House. His daughter Ann used to tease him for being president of the Wagner Society in Dallas, but opera was his passion, and Wagner’s Ring was his favorite. In Dallas, he was an avid supporter and season ticket holder for the Dallas Opera, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Turtle Creek Chorale, Dallas Chamber Music Society, and the SMU Meadows School of the Arts. Music and the arts were dear to his heart.

In 2013, Don and Joan moved to Cary, NC to be closer to their daughter Ann and three granddaughters, Elise, Nina, and Addison Bagley.

Don will be remembered for his quiet strength, wry sense of humor, and giving nature.

Donald is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Joan Eldridge Janak of Cary, NC, daughter and son-in-law, Ann and John Christopher Bagley, grandchildren Elise Blair, Nina Elizabeth, and Addison Grace Bagley of Cary, NC, twin sister Dorothy Janak Morton and her husband Dick Morton of San Antonio, TX, sister-in-law Marietta Pratt Janak of Dallas, TX, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents Agnes and John James Janak, and older brother, John David Janak.

A celebration of his life will be planned for the fall in Dallas, Texas. Memorial donations can be made to The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian (https://wheelwright.org/product/donate/) or an organization that supports the arts in your area: a local theater company, a favorite museum, or a community arts center.