Was there ever a sweeter person than Don Wiest (rhymes with east), who died on August 30, 2023? “My memories of him are warm and vivid,” says Bob Silberman, “not the least for his endearing habit of leaving chocolate eggs outside the door of our suite on his holiday, hence his nickname: the Wiester Bunny. He was kind and funny and smart, and he will be remembered very fondly.”
“I think Alan London originated the nickname,” adds Mike Leahy. “Don was a gentle soul with a dry sense of humor.”
“Don was my roommate in junior year, along with Mike Orlansky,” says Peter Sheckman “We had independent interests but found plenty of together time. He was a very quiet, gentle person who was intelligent and deeply interested in his studies. I remember how the living room looked as Don prepared one paper or another: books on art or architecture spread about the floor in what appeared to be a haphazard manner. I don’t recall copious notes ever being taken, but the end result was always a well thought out paper.”
Mike adds, “Since I hadn’t heard from Don for a while, I wrote him and put my contact information on the envelope, asking that if Don was no longer residing there, could the recipient please forward the card to Don or return it to me. A few days later I got a phone call from a very kind Bhutanese man, telling me that Don died in Louisville, Kentucky. I was aware that he had been living with this family for several years after the death of his wife Gwendolyn, first in Massachusetts and for the past six-plus years with the same family in Louisville, where they had relocated.
“Don had told me that he felt very happy living with this family, and loved having children around the house. They helped him deal with his increasingly complex medical issues and, after he died, held a memorial service, drawing on the host family’s Hindu traditions and Don’s own Presbyterian background. Apparently, Don had requested that his and Gwendolyn’s ashes be scattered at sea, so they carried out this wish in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego.”
“He was one of the truly nice guys of the world, in every sense of the phrase,” says Bob Van Valkenburgh. “Even though I hadn’t seen or heard from him in years, I’ll miss him. The old gang is dwindling by the year.”