Donald L. Abbott

Don unexpectedly passed away on March 8, 2025, leaving his loving wife, Erin Abbott, and three children, Emily, Angelina, and Yorge, who greatly adored him.

Don loved growing up in his small hometown of Rockford, Iowa and has many times recounted his happy memories of his mischievous young years there. He was involved in activities of all kinds, including school sports, and plays, band, golf, hunting, and Boy Scouts. His mother and father owned the beauty and barber shops in town. They lived above the barber shops for a time when they were younger. Don has said he and his sister, being the children of the local barber and beautician, were always the last to get a haircut.

Don received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and received his Masters in Business Accounting degree from Drake University. He worked primarily in the mortgage business as Vice President of Accounting at Midland Mortgage, Amerus Mortgage, and eventually opened his own mortgage business, Independent Mortgage in Urbandale, Iowa. He loved his work and all of the friendships and relationships he built along the way.

After meeting at work, Don and Erin married in November of 1991 and had a grand celebration at the Younkers Tea Room in downtown Des Moines, and honeymooned in Palm Springs, California. Their early marriage included ski trips to the mountains, trips throughout the midwest, and dinners at their favorite restaurants in town. They played tennis with friends, golfed, and enjoyed a night at the movies. The simple things in life were made better because they did them together.

Don loved being a Dad and providing for his family. He was the best chauffer and loved the time in the car to talk about our days and what was going on in school. He attended countless practices, soccer games, basketball games, baseball games, softball games, cross country and track meets, band and chorus concerts. He was our number one fan. He helped us with homework assignments, projects, and studying for tests. He was proud of all of our achievements, and was always quick to let us know. Even now as adults he continued to be involved in our lives, helping with projects, hearing about vacations, offering advice, and sharing wisdom.

Don spent quality time doing the things he loved and was passionate about, such as gardening, photography, winemaking, cooking, camping, golfing with his college buddies, and recently taking over his father-in-law’s 7,000 DVD collection. At any age, Don could always be found cheering for his favorite teams, the Iowa Hawkeyes and Atlanta Braves. He enjoyed attending Iowa football games with family and friends. He loved cooking for his family and fellow campers. Although he never followed a recipe or wrote down his own creation, he never failed to make a delicious meal. He took pride in hosting large meals for his family and friends. He loved being outside working in his very large gardens, growing vegetables, splitting hostas and day lilies to give away to friends and relatives, learning about gardening and imparting his knowledge to fellow neighbors and friends. He was a good neighbor and friend, and a truly good guy.

When Don was growing up, he was involved in Boy Scouts. When his only son, Yorge, became involved in Cub Scouts, Don became an involved parent and eventually an Assistant Scoutmaster. Don and Yorge obtained their Order of the Arrow at the same time and went through their Ordeal together. It meant a lot to Don when Yorge achieved their goal of obtaining his Eagle. Don continued to stay involved with Clive Scout Troop 208 helping multiple kids work towards achieving their ranks. He was very instrumental in helping and mentoring young boys develop into good scouts and citizens, while also trying to make it a fun experience for them. He has enjoyed going on countless adventure trips, campouts, and summer camps over the past 20 years.

Don was always young at heart and knew how to have a good time. He loved to tease and be teased. A goal of his was to never look or act old, and he wanted to keep up with what everyone else was doing. Don was very social, outgoing, and loved to put a smile on everyone’s face. Don could always be found with a camera in hand, capturing the good times we all shared together. He loved spending time with friends, and recently was planning a trip to the Boundary Waters with his buddies this coming summer, as well as a Colorado camping trip in September. He loved the challenge of camping and was not ready to call it quits.

Most of all, Don loved spending time with his family and always looked forward to having coffee and watching a movie or TV show with his wife every night, with a cat by their side. He was a very involved husband and father. His family meant the world to him and he truly cared and wanted the best for them. Whether or not they wanted it, he was always very willing to impart his knowledge, wisdom, and advice.

Although we did not get to spend the rest of our lives with him, he got to spend the rest of his with us. His memory will forever live on with those he left behind, and we will continue to love him and make him proud. His love and embrace can never be replaced, but we know he will always be there with us.

Don is survived by his wife Erin Abbott, his daughter Emily Randall and her husband Jason, his daughter Angelina Smith and her husband Marty, his son Yorge Abbott, and many family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Donald and Imogene Abbott, and his sister Donnette Long.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the following organizations: Clive Troup 208 (Boy Scouts), Animal Rescue League of Iowa, American Heart Association, or the Variety Club of Iowa.