Durham, Don Darrah. Don was baptized into the hope of Christ’s resurrection, on Saturday, November 2, 2024.
Don was born and raised in St. Louis, the son of Don D. and Lucille (Cartier) Durham. He was a proud graduate of Augustinian Academy (high school) in St. Louis, connecting with several classmates who would go on to be lifelong friends. It was also during this time that he began dating the love of his life, Antonia (Toni). They would go on to wed in 1969, start a family, and were married 55 years.
After graduating from Augustinian, Don went on to attend both Wentworth Military Academy and the University of Missouri – St. Louis, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in general business administration and management and was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha. He was also a military veteran, having served in both the United States Army and the United States Marine Corp.
As a young man Don enjoyed playing sports of all kinds, excelling at swimming, baseball, and football, the latter which he also played in college. Later in life, he could often be found on weekends at either a local golf course or hunting at Wil-Nor hunting club, often with his adored four-legged hunting buddy, Beau, by his side.
In a career that spanned five decades, Don was a businessman with an entrepreneurial mindset. For 19 years, he worked as a VP/GM with Federal Gateway, a national moving and storage company. He was one of the company’s leading salespeople, earning several top performer awards.
It was while working there he was able to tap into his entrepreneurial side.
With the support of his family, Don opened Donovan’s, a fine-dining destination in the Brentwood area. The restaurant was truly a family affair. On any given day, you would either find Don food prepping, bartending, and hosting, while Toni might be putting the finishing touches on a homemade dessert of hers. Another day you might find one of his beloved daughters working the hostess stand. If you knew Don, you’d know how much it meant to him have his family involved – something he cherished always.
Don wrapped up his career by again tapping into his entrepreneurial spirit. In the early 2000s, Don acquired a regional industrial cleaning contracting franchise. He led and managed it for 15 years, taking it from nothing and building and leading it into one of the company’s top-performing franchises in the company’s portfolio. His guidance led to earning several awards and often receiving recognition from company leadership.
Don was also an active supporter of local charities in the St. Louis region, including serving many years as both a mentor and board member at Fathers & Families Support Center of Saint Louis. Don’s devotion to mentorship and support of the organization’s ideals was one of his biggest honors of his lifetime. He was fortunate enough to be honored by the organization for his efforts in helping build the mentorship program.
Don is survived by his wife, Antonia (nee Rallo); dear father of Elizabeth (late Rudy) Hlavaty; Amy (Kevin) Ketterer; Courtney (Peter) Uthoff; and Darrah (Sean) Connors.
Loving Granddad of Cate, Madigan, and Grace; Ellie, Corin, Sarah, and Logan; Abi (Ian), Madeline (Chris), and Rudy; Great-Granddad to Declan and Paisley Mae; and brother of Donna (late Jim) Mikesch.
Services: Visitation for Don will be held at Kutis Funeral Homes (10151 Gravois Rd, St. Louis, MO 63123) on Monday, November 11 from 4-8 p.m. Funeral Mass will be held at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (7701 State Route N, Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368) on Tuesday, November 12 at 10 a.m. Burial will at Sunset Memorial Park and Mausoleum (10180 Gravois Road, Affton, MO 63123) following Mass.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Fathers & Families Support Center (1601 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103) www.fatherssupportcenter.org or Anything For a Friend Foundation (3921 Roundtable Ct., St Louis, MO 63129 or www.afaffoundation.org)
Amy and family,
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I know your Dad/Don had had an outsized positive impact on your family. With sincere sympathy, Danae Domian
Don was loved and Beau was his buddy! We met on several occasions at Wil-nor and Don came to SD with Beau on a couple trips and always was the consummate gentleman! He will be missed! Condolences and prayers for your family in this time of loss!🙏
Don was the best mgr. I ever worked for and with.He was a good person too.I haven’t seen him in quite some time, and that is not his fault. We parted a number of yrs. ago, I went my own way in transportation services and had success for a long time. This was due in large part to Don’s tutoring and business acumen.
We worked together, hunted together, socialized together, we both loved our dogs. our wives have the same 1st name.
I suspect Don leaves a legacy we all hope we could duplicate. Good husband, father, grandfather and citizen.He was one of a kind, one of those jewels we don’t locten get to know.
God speed Don. I know you’re now with Winnie( Winston) & he’s happy to see you.
I have enjoyed Don’s friendship since high school. He had a good sense of humor and was an all around good guy. I will miss our conversations over coffee and other get togethers. I am sorry for Toni and the family for their loss.
I can relate to many memories of my friendship with Don since the days of high school in south city St. Louis. The one that bubbles up to be on top of all the rest is when, in the late 1990’s, Triple D took me for drive west on I-70 to Lexington Missouri and his beloved Wentworth Military Academy, a school he attended in the late sixties.
As we visited each of the various buildings on campus, Don would regale me with stories about what happened in this place or that, There was Hickman Hall and the Administration Center; the Student Union and the cadet mess hall where we had lunch; the football field and of course, his favorite place, the Marine Barracks building where he had his “dorm” room.
But more impressive than all the buildings and the beauty of the campus was the fact that Don still knew so many people on the school staff and they were overjoyed by the fact that he was visiting that day. The friendly smiles that greeted him were numerous and each one was sincere as could be. All afternoon, there were stories traded by Don and staff members that made me laugh many times over. I was impressed that he was remembered by so many there who truly respected and liked him. It was a memorable day, for sure.
But that was Don, of course. He was always the tub-thumper and always the ombudsman – conjuring up old friends so he could make them laugh and enjoy that he was there / and yes they definitely laughed and they certainly did enjoy, all of them. Don was a good friend to many and a fine gentleman to all. I am glad to have had the chance to know him for so many years and I will always remember that Durham smile and of course the Durham wit and humor.
Rest in peace Triple D. You will be missed / always.
TOM KALETTA