Donald Titus

August 29, 1925 - March 21, 2012

Donald Titus, age 86, passed away quietly Wednesday, March 21st at the Veterans Home in King, WI. He was a life-long resident of Fond du Lac. His life was full and he leaves Arlene, his devoted wife of nearly 59 years and a legacy of three children, 11 grand-children and three great grand children who will all surely smile as they remember him. He was preceded in death by his parents, Art and Lenny Titus, son-in-law, Dale Nelsen and grand-daughter Leah Nelsen. Don was truly one of the “Greatest Generation” from the Tom Brokaw book which honored the courage and sacrifice of our WWII veterans as well as their hard work, selfless values and great success in building our nation. Don was drafted in late 1943 during his senior year of high school and was quickly trained and deployed to the Solomon Islands with the 1st Marine Division, Third Armored Amphibian Battalion. His role on an amphibious tank landed him on the beaches ahead of the first wave of infantry, an assignment which many did not survive. He fought at New Guinea, and the island of Peleliu, one of the bloodiest conflicts of the war. Don also saw combat at Okinawa, the historic and conclusive battle of the Pacific theatre. His experiences during the war were not discussed much, but he was quick to say that he was “damn lucky” to have made it home and he lived his life in full appreciation of that fact. Letters he wrote to his parents from the Pacific are archived in the Historical Society Museum at Oshkosh.
Upon his return to Fond du Lac in February 1946, Don joined kiekhaefer, the predecessor to Mercury Marine from which he retired in 1988 after 43 years. Don worked first in the plant and later in a Foreman capacity in plant number four on the rod line. He was well-liked and known for wearing brightly colored socks in the plant…a joke which ran for years. Don led some critical start-ups of new lines and equipment and liked to reflect on those challenges years later. He took a lot of pride in his work. Don loved weekends at the cottage on Lawrence Lake in Westfield which he and his father-in-law, Alvin Kollmorgen built together from the ground up in the early 1960’s. Time at the cottage was family focused and he spent wonderful days there with his grand children who all thought the world of him. He will always be remembered for the tractor rides around the yard with the little ones, patiently untangling lines, baiting hooks and keeping everyone safe. The grand kids always went home with a bag of candy. Don also loved feeding the birds, fishing, woodworking and drinking coffee with the Fosters. He was a prolific collector of tools and owned at least two of every one imaginable. As a young man he was an accomplished racer in his powerboat “Luke Warm”. Numerous trophies and a few surgery scars were proud mementos of his racing career.

In addition to wife Arlene, survivors include daughters Deborah Titus Nelsen (late Husband, Dale) of Appleton and Donna Titus Kreuter (Husband, Kurt) Green Bay, and Son Don Titus Jr. (Wife, Terry) of West Bend.

Funeral Information

Visitation: Friends may call on Monday March 26, 2012 from 9 to 11 AM at Uecker-Witt Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be held at 11 AM at the funeral home. Trier-Puddy American Legion Post No. 75 will conduct military graveside services. Burial will follow at Rienzi Cemetery.

Sincere thanks go to VA Staff in King for the wonderful care they provided.

Uecker-Witt Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. For additional information and guestbook go to www.ueckerwitt.com.