Donald Wayne Peele "Don"

They say you can tell a lot about a man by what he loved and what he hated. Donald “Don” was a true connoisseur of bourbon. He had a sweet spot in his heart for Golden Retrievers, surprising his children one Christmas with a puppy. He had a quirky appreciation for red carnations and found odd delight in mowing his lawn. He had every line of “It’s a Wonderful Life” memorized and would often quote the movie to his family in an effort to instill an appreciation of black and white movies and important life lessons. His kryptonite: muscle cars. Specifically the 1964 GTO he may or may not have “borrowed” from his older brother a time or two. Don was not a fan of wearing business suits, let alone a tie. He was more of the golf shirt shirt type of guy. If you wanted to get on his bad side, serving him beets was a surefire way. And he had a deeply rooted rivalry with the Florida Gators, stemming from his devotion to the FSU Seminoles and Coach Bobby Bowden. On any given autumn Saturday, he could be found cheering for the Seminoles either at the stadium or in front of the screen.

“Don” was born in Jacksonville, Florida on August 19th, 1946. After graduating from Lee High School, he attended Florida State University, eventually graduating from Jacksonville University in 1971. Upon finishing college, he was employed in marketing and sales positions that took him to various states and cities across the country, always making sure to note that New Jersey was NOT his favorite. In 1987 Don moved to Atlanta where he met his wife Catherine. He always was a true romantic, as he proposed with the infamous line “Are we gonna get married or what?” Four years later he and his young growing family moved home to Jacksonville. Which some say was purely for the purpose of being close to Disney World. He loved going on Disney vacations, the merry-go-round exacerbating his Peter-Pan syndrome of never growing up. And he prided himself on negotiating hotel room upgrades. The Christmas season was particularly his favorite, when his inner Clark Griswold would come out. It was during this time that he would buy not one, but TWO Christmas trees, enjoy his fireplace, and share the spirit of Santa to all. Nothing was spared for Christmas and horse drawn hayrides evolved from a family tradition to a neighborhood-wide ritual. Don is joining his parents, Ada and Cohen Peele in heaven. His legacy and love will live on through his wife Catherine, daughter Morgan, son Cullen, son Shawn, and his brother Roger (Carla).

Don's family would also like to thank, with deepest appreciation, those staff members of St. Catherine's LaBoure', who supervised and cared for Don.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Don's memory to the Lewy Body Dementia Association (lbda.org) or St. Catherine's LaBoure' Manor.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 14, 2015 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Hardage-Giddens Oaklawn Chapel. Funeral services will be held 11:00am on Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at Holiday Hill Baptist Church, 730 Mandalay Road, Jacksonville, Florida.

.

Please Sign the guestbook at www.hardagegiddensoaklawnchapel.com

HARDAGE-GIDDENS, THE OAKLAWN CHAPEL, 4801 San Jose Blvd is serving the family.