Donald R. Sommers Delaware, Ohio Obituary

Donald R. Sommers

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Donald R. Sommers, 93, with family at his side, passed away from complications of congestive heart failure on Saturday evening, December 18, 2021 at Willow Brook Christian Village in Delaware, Ohio.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Don spent his childhood on the family farms near the Mad River north of Urbana, OH. In 1946, he graduated from Concord High School, and in 1950, graduated from the Ohio State University (OSU) with a degree in dairy science. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">After serving as an MP in the Korean War, Don had various jobs in the dairy business before joining the Sommers&rsquo; family farm where he (and his trusted dog Hap) raised and milked Brown Swiss cattle.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">In 1959, Don met the love of his life, Amy Jo Merrell of Geneva, Ohio. They married in Geneva, Ohio on October 8, 1960 then moved to Urbana to farm and raise a family. The family farm business was too small to support the family, so Don sold the dairy cows and started his 26-year career with the Farmers Home Administration (div of USDA). This job led he, Amy Jo, Tom, and Kate to West Union, OH, where Don and Amy Jo lived for 46 years. They moved to Willow Brook Christian Village in 2015.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Don was a voracious newspaper and book reader, map hobbyist, list compiler, and collector of historical, trivial, and US counties and OSU sports&rsquo; data, plus forever carried the torch for the Detroit Tigers. His storytelling was a family legend. As recently as August 2021, Don was sharing childhood and sibling antics from the 1930s. He was active in the Alpha Zeta fraternity (Alpha Tau Zeta then FarmHouse) from which he continued close ties until 2021, and in West Union, was active with the West Union Lions Club.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Known for his quiet, kind, and gentle strength and keen sense of humor, Don would break into hysterical laughter at the family&rsquo;s kitchen table &ndash; for reasons only he knew, and Amy Jo, Tom and Kate could only guess. Don was physically active until September 2, 2021, the day before entering the hospital. He walked three miles a day at Willow Brook, cutting his neighborhood route in half only within his last year.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Don was a long-time member of the West Union Presbyterian Church where he was a trustee and elder. During retirement, he was the unofficial groundskeeper, looking after the building, scheduling maintenance and repair for the historic 211-year-old church. Upon moving to Delaware in 2015, he and Amy Jo joined Delaware&rsquo;s First Presbyterian Church, where he raised his hand to become a trustee, ending his term at the age of 91.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">From an early age, Don was smitten with wanderlust. Over his lifetime, he led the family on annual, cross-country driving vacations taking them to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Great Smoky Mountains, and Acadia National Parks plus all 50 states at least once. He and Amy Jo enjoyed multiple Delta Queen riverboat cruises. They also traveled to Europe and through the Panama Canal. In 2001, Don and son Tom traveled to Seoul, South Korea to meet and bring Don&rsquo;s new grandson, Noah, home to the US.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">In his true style of giving to others and being a forever Buckeye, Don registered to donate his remains to the OSU medical school for research. Afterward, his body will be cremated.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">The youngest of his four siblings, Don is preceded in death by his parents, John and Nelle Sommers and infant brother, Hugh; John; Jean Sommers Briggs; Sara Sommers Dean; and their respective spouses and son-in-law Tom Hunter. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Don is survived by his wife of 61 years, Amy Jo (Delaware, OH), daughter Kate Hunter (Westerville, OH), son Tom (Washington, DC) grandchildren: Rebecca Sommers (Chapel Hill, NC) and Noah Sommers (Raleigh, NC); Paige Hunter (Columbus, OH) and Andrew Hunter (Westerville, OH) and many nieces and nephews.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">A memorial service will be held in 2022 pending COVID restrictions and coordinating family travel schedules. The family will provide service details upon confirmation.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Memorial contributions can be made to:&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Willow Brook Christian Village,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">100 Willow Brook Way South,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Delaware, OH&nbsp; 43015&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Memo: Sommers Memorial</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Donations can also be sent securely by visiting the About/Giving tabs at:&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">willow-brook.org&nbsp; &nbsp;or&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">First Presbyterian Church,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">73 W Winter Street,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Delaware, OH&nbsp; 43015&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Memo: Sommers Memorial</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Donations can also be sent securely via the Offerings button at:&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Delfpc.org</span></p>
May 8, 1928 - December 18, 202105/08/192812/18/2021
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Obituary

Donald R. Sommers, 93, with family at his side, passed away from complications of congestive heart failure on Saturday evening, December 18, 2021 at Willow Brook Christian Village in Delaware, Ohio.

Don spent his childhood on the family farms near the Mad River north of Urbana, OH. In 1946, he graduated from Concord High School, and in 1950, graduated from the Ohio State University (OSU) with a degree in dairy science.

After serving as an MP in the Korean War, Don had various jobs in the dairy business before joining the Sommers’ family farm where he (and his trusted dog Hap) raised and milked Brown Swiss cattle.

In 1959, Don met the love of his life, Amy Jo Merrell of Geneva, Ohio. They married in Geneva, Ohio on October 8, 1960 then moved to Urbana to farm and raise a family. The family farm business was too small to support the family, so Don sold the dairy cows and started his 26-year career with the Farmers Home Administration (div of USDA). This job led he, Amy Jo, Tom, and Kate to West Union, OH, where Don and Amy Jo lived for 46 years. They moved to Willow Brook Christian Village in 2015.

Don was a voracious newspaper and book reader, map hobbyist, list compiler, and collector of historical, trivial, and US counties and OSU sports’ data, plus forever carried the torch for the Detroit Tigers. His storytelling was a family legend. As recently as August 2021, Don was sharing childhood and sibling antics from the 1930s. He was active in the Alpha Zeta fraternity (Alpha Tau Zeta then FarmHouse) from which he continued close ties until 2021, and in West Union, was active with the West Union Lions Club.

Known for his quiet, kind, and gentle strength and keen sense of humor, Don would break into hysterical laughter at the family’s kitchen table – for reasons only he knew, and Amy Jo, Tom and Kate could only guess. Don was physically active until September 2, 2021, the day before entering the hospital. He walked three miles a day at Willow Brook, cutting his neighborhood route in half only within his last year.

Don was a long-time member of the West Union Presbyterian Church where he was a trustee and elder. During retirement, he was the unofficial groundskeeper, looking after the building, scheduling maintenance and repair for the historic 211-year-old church. Upon moving to Delaware in 2015, he and Amy Jo joined Delaware’s First Presbyterian Church, where he raised his hand to become a trustee, ending his term at the age of 91.

From an early age, Don was smitten with wanderlust. Over his lifetime, he led the family on annual, cross-country driving vacations taking them to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Great Smoky Mountains, and Acadia National Parks plus all 50 states at least once. He and Amy Jo enjoyed multiple Delta Queen riverboat cruises. They also traveled to Europe and through the Panama Canal. In 2001, Don and son Tom traveled to Seoul, South Korea to meet and bring Don’s new grandson, Noah, home to the US.

In his true style of giving to others and being a forever Buckeye, Don registered to donate his remains to the OSU medical school for research. Afterward, his body will be cremated.

The youngest of his four siblings, Don is preceded in death by his parents, John and Nelle Sommers and infant brother, Hugh; John; Jean Sommers Briggs; Sara Sommers Dean; and their respective spouses and son-in-law Tom Hunter.

Don is survived by his wife of 61 years, Amy Jo (Delaware, OH), daughter Kate Hunter (Westerville, OH), son Tom (Washington, DC) grandchildren: Rebecca Sommers (Chapel Hill, NC) and Noah Sommers (Raleigh, NC); Paige Hunter (Columbus, OH) and Andrew Hunter (Westerville, OH) and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held in 2022 pending COVID restrictions and coordinating family travel schedules. The family will provide service details upon confirmation.

Memorial contributions can be made to: Willow Brook Christian Village, 100 Willow Brook Way South, Delaware, OH  43015         Memo: Sommers Memorial

 Donations can also be sent securely by visiting the About/Giving tabs at: willow-brook.org   or 

First Presbyterian Church, 73 W Winter Street, Delaware, OH  43015        Memo: Sommers Memorial

 Donations can also be sent securely via the Offerings button at:    Delfpc.org

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