Donald Elmer Faller

Express their lives by what they do. Donald “Don” Elmer. Faller, 90, passed away peacefully on March 13, 2017, at Orlando Lutheran Towers in Orlando, Florida. He will forever be remembered as a servant of Jesus Christ, beloved husband, devoted father and grandfather, kind neighbor, gentleman and consummate business professional. Don is survived by his loving wife for over 68 years, Dolores “Lori” Faller, and five of his six children: Marcus Faller; Kimberly Willard and her husband, Randy; Donald Mark Faller; Krystn Faller; and Kelly Weir and her husband, Frank; and, Don’s son-in-law, Dr. Enrique Fernandez, husband to Don’s late beloved daughter, Kyle Fernandez. He was also preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Gertrude Faller; brother, Louis J. Faller; and sister, Anita Shephard. His family included 15 grandchildren: Lauren Fernandez; Erin Fernandez Rost and her husband, Bob; Adam Fernandez and his wife, Meaghan; Lindsay Fernandez Richardson and her husband, Wayne; Aliese, Andrew, Christopher & David Willard; Daryl Franchi and her husband, Billy; Weston, Madison & Mackenzie Faller; Donovan, Lily & Charlotte Weir. Don’s four great grandchildren include: Adam & Henry Fernandez; Jack Rost; and William Franchi. Don began his long illustrious life on March 1, 1927, in Jersey City, New Jersey, born to Louis and Gertrude Faller. His lifetime was full of drive, hard work, and service to others. When his mother passed away shortly after his birth, his grandmother and Aunt Kate helped his father raise his older brother, sister and him in a friendly, supportive neighborhood in New Milford, New Jersey. His character and values were of humility, impeccable integrity and treating those around him with honor, dignity and respect. Don thrived at school and was active in multiple sports both in and out of school, including baseball, football, and his favorite sport, soccer. After being severely injured when falling from a ladder in junior high school, he was forced to abandon his passion for contact sports. Don then became the team manager for several sports and joined the tennis team. He was awarded letters in track and soccer for his work. He also became active in dramatics and school plays, and was the lead in both Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest and Going on Seventeen. He enjoyed working diligently to supplement his income in the aftermath of the Great Depression and applied his mark of excellence to everything he touched, from weeding gardens and mowing lawns, to being a YMCA camp counselor for many summers. Throughout his years in New Jersey, he also made it a priority to travel to NYC frequently to get a plate of spaghetti at Italian restaurants, and go hear the big bands, which included Glenn Miller, Harry James, and Frank Sinatra; plus, performances at Radio City Music Hall. Don was devastated when news reached him that his brother, Louis, was missing in action in the Pacific Ocean during WWII. He immediately ran all the way to his local church where he found great comfort from the minister. He would continue to attend church and find solace in his faith for the rest of his life. Years later, he was blessed to have some closure about his brother’s disappearance when parts of the fighter bomber Louis had been assigned to washed up on the shore of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. When he finished high school in Hackensack, New Jersey in 1944, he was optimistic about WWII ending. He enrolled in Michigan State University where he would be the first in his family to earn a college degree. Don was energetic to learn everything he could and make something of himself. While at MSU, he was in ROTC, and became a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. Don credited his time at Alpha Gamma Rho with helping him learn to be a polished gentleman and form close, respectful relationships with his fraternity brothers. Even when there was fraternity hazing, he decided he could never be mean to another person. He was later inducted into the Blue Key Honor Society for all-around excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service, was president of Alpha Zeta National Honorary Society, and President of the Student Body of the Agricultural School. In his junior year, a fraternity brother joked that anybody could do what a cheerleader did, so Don and his roommate tried out and became MSU cheerleaders. It made the front page of the campus newspaper. He later reminisced that it was a lot of fun cheering for football and basketball games. He actually led the student body singing Jingle Bells when it snowed at a football game. He would become a lifelong fan of MSU sports, an active and supporting alumnae, and the owner of an MSU letter jacket for cheerleading. Don’s time at MSU would provide additional experiences that would have a huge impact on his future. He supported himself at school by washing dishes on campus and by working at a Sealtest Foods (Kraft) dairy plant. Don would spend his summers learning every job, like bottling milk and packaging cheese. Before long, he was promoted to assistant plant superintendent and field man to farmers, to troubleshoot and solve problems. Before attending MSU, he had reasoned that there would always be cows and people would always want to drink milk. When he graduated with a degree in food technology, Sealtest would become the home for his first of several major career positions. At the end of his first two years at Michigan State, Don had another pivotal event--one of his fraternity brothers introduced him to the most beautiful, sweetest girl he had ever met, another student named Dolores ‘Lori’ Smith, who would become the love of his life. As Lori would later share, Don was handsome and kind, had a beautiful smile of white pearly teeth, green eyes and a stack of black wavy hair. They were immediately smitten with one another and Don proposed by their second date. Their romantic courtship would last two years, and they were married after Don graduated on August 28, 1948. From there, they forged a partnership of true and spiritual love that would last over 68 years. With Lori supporting him as the ultimate corporate wife, Don rapidly rose up through the ranks of Sealtest Foods where he was promoted to positions from the head of plant operations and engineering to sales and marketing - Michigan to district general manager - Michigan and Ohio, and finally division sales and marketing manager. He always distinguishing himself with high performance and notable accomplishments. Don designed and engineered a plant modernization program and instituted the first fully automated paper milk carton filling plants in the United States. His new product development, packaging, merchandising and sales force training resulted in generating over $100 million in newsales. Many times Don would rehearse and practice his sales presentations for his family until he had them perfected. He continued to invest in his professional development by obtaining masters credits from Syracuse University’s advanced management program, the General Motors institute of Technology, and the University of California Executive Program. He also graduated from the Dale Carnegie Institute of Public Speaking. After 21 years with Kraft’s Sealtest Foods in Michigan and Ohio, he was recruited by Citrus Central, Inc. in Orlando, Florida and once again made his mark as he eventually became the chief operating officer of this leading world citrus cooperative. Don expanded the business internationally and created original citrus products like high pulp and low pulp orange juice, and the proprietary Natural Sun product line. Fourteen years later, he would then join Sunkist Growers in California in roles as national and international sales manager, director of finance and operations, and head of sales. When he retired six years later, he was credited with saving Sunkist millions in operations reforms and expanding sales significantly. Don mentored many professionals and provided memorable, valuable guidance—always supportive and motivating. Those who worked with Don have shared that they had enormous admiration for his calm direction and serious manner. They noted that he always dressed immaculately in a starched white shirt and tie. He was a role model; a seasoned leader to look up to. Don’s business career was not finished. When he and Lori moved back to Florida from California, Don established his own consulting business, Trinity Business Consultants, where he aided the growth and distribution networks of large national companies, such as Anheuser Busch, Oakley Transport and Citrosuco, the largest citrus company in the world. He was honored for his achievements in the citrus industry by the National Juice Products Association for which he had served as President. He was noted in Who’s Who in America, served on the board of directors of: the former ComBank of Apopka, Freedom Savings and Loan of Winter Park, and Pace School; and was a member of the Family Care Council, Full Gospel Businessmen Association, and Church of the Annunciation. As patriarch of the Faller family, Don was a dedicated, generous provider with a loving heart, making sure that his wife and children’s needs were always met. The family had beautiful well-maintained homes—several of which Lori and he enjoyed designing and had built. The American flag was proudly displayed on the front porch along with an MIA flag saluting his brother Louis. With Lori, he showered his children with special Christmas surprises, planned annual vacations, and took the family on special excursions to restaurants, museums, and plays so that the family could spend special time and have a sense of unity together. Don even got the family a commercial freezer that he packed with hundreds of ice cream treats purchased from Sealtest. More importantly, he teamed with Lori to make sure that the entire family got to church every Sunday and religious holidays, even if they were on vacation. He led the family in grace at meals and always had the children kneel for prayers every night before bed. Don and Lori said devotions together every morning and prayed for all of their children and grandchildren. Don was always openly affectionate to Lori and lavished her with his love. He exemplified chivalry and treated her and his children with utmost respect and kind support. His children will always have fond memories of his beautiful voice as he enthusiastically led the family in Christmas carols and cheerleading songs for Hackensack High and Michigan State. At home, he pitched in to help with chores and big projects around the house and was always fixing everything with great polish. He valued and maintained anything that God allowed him to possess. It was also not unusual for him to do the decorating for the kids’ birthday parties and decorate their cakes. When his children later became adults and had their own homes, he would help with their home projects as well. Even at his daughter Krystn’s residence at Bishop Grady Villas, he constructed a special 600-foot path to an outdoor prayer sanctuary. Serving those around him was how he showed his love. Don was so proud of his children and adored his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was always thrilled to spend time with all of them. He exuded great warmth and hugs. When Lori was not well in recent years, Don was completely dedicated to aiding her in any way possible with cooking, cleaning and errands, staying with her at every doctor’s appointment, and being with her each day as she completed her physical rehabilitation. Every time they were reunited after hospital and rehab separations, they had tears of joy when they kissed, and said, “I love you.” People present at these reunions were also in tears as they witnessed true love in its purest form. During their years in assisted living, Don also continued to look for ways to be productive and contribute to a higher standard of living. He even took care of newspaper deliveries and did some yard work at one of the facilities where they lived. He never stopped trying to make every day worthwhile. Don Faller leaves behind the legacy of being a wonderful man, well-rounded in Godly character, living the fruit of the Spirit outlined in the Bible, being positive and uplifting, and consistently taking every project to completion with excellence. He knew how to forgive others and give unconditional love regardless of the degree of wrongdoing he had incurred. Don embraced those around him with sincerity. Don Faller was a man of honor with a great sense of humor. As a goal setter, he said he wanted to live to be 90 years old. He met that goal and finished the good race. He is now with the Lord. We will miss him. Lori found two passages that depict the essence of Don—one is What makes A Dad and the other is A Real Man: What Makes a Dad (author unknown) God took the strength of a mountain The majesty of a tree The warmth of a summer sun The calm of a quiet sea The generous soul of nature The comforting arm of night The wisdom of the ages The power of eagles in flight The joy of a morning in spring The faith of a mustard seed The patience of eternity The depth of a family need Then God combined these qualities When there was nothing more to add HE knew His masterpiece was complete And so, HE called it . . . DAD. A Real Man by Edgar Guest Men are of two kinds, and he Was the kind I’d like to be. Some preach their virtues, and a few That sort was he. No flowery phrase Or glibly spoken words of praise Won friends for him. He wasn’t cheap Or shallow, but his course ran deep, And it was pure. You know the kind. Not many in a life you find Whose deeds outrun their words so far That more than what they seem they are. There are two kinds of lies as well: The kind you live, the ones you tell. Back through the years from age to youth He never acted on untruth. Out in the open light he fought And didn’t care what others thought Nor what they said about his fight If he believed that he was right. The only deeds he ever hid Were acts of kindness that he did. What speech he had was plain and blunt. He was an attractive front. Children loved him; babe and boy Played with the strength he could employ. Without one fear, and they were fleet To sense injustice and deceit. No back door gossip linked his name With any shady tale of shame. He did not have to compromise With evil-doers, shrewd and wise, And let them ply their vicious trade Because of some past escapade. Men are of two kinds, and he Was the kind I’d like to be. No door at which he ever knocked Against his manly form was locked. If ever man on earth was free And independent, it was he. No broken pledge lost him respect, He met all men with head erect. And when he passed I think there went A soul to yonder firmament So white, so splendid and so fine It came almost to God’s design.

Donald Elmer Faller

March 1, 1927 - March 13, 2017