Donald Ray Leeper
June 11, 2015
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Service Details
Donald R. Leeper, 62, passed away June 11, 2015. Services will be held Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. with visitation prior from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines. Burial will be in Grand Island, NE.
Donald was born July 15, 1952 in Grand Island, NE to Dorothy (Svoboda) and Ad Leeper. He graduated from Central Catholic High School and then attended Grand Island School of Business before he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Donald worked for the VA Hospital in Des Moines for 30 years, and for the Marriott for 23 years before retiring. He enjoyed gardening, photography, traveling, and was quite philanthropic. Donald loved life!
He will be greatly missed by his siblings, Donna (Dale) Medlen, Diane Leeper, and Kevin Leeper; 10 nieces and nephews; 13 great-nieces and nephews; and his dear friend, Cheryl Claus among many other friends. Donald was preceded in death by his parents.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the family. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.
Bud Cheetham
06/25/2015
I was very saddened to hear of the passing of my old friend, Don. I met him in 1980, he was the night auditor at the Kirkwood Civic Center Hotel. He helped me with my first job as a desk clerk for the hotel.
I'll always remember his calm and patient demeanor. And his witty (sometimes sharp) but dry sense of humor.
He was always so kind to people, helping them any way that he could, often to the point of incurring a burden on himself. He was a great example of how we should be treating others in our lives. I'll miss you Don! My sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Dr. Susan Espeland
06/25/2015
My heartfelt condolences go out to Cheryl, Don's family, friends and former co-workers.
I join in your sorrow and wish to share that I so enjoyed working with him at the VA. Though I never shared an office with him, I did share his work ethic of trying to serve veterans and do a job well. He went above and beyond with his work behind the scenes to help veterans obtain healthcare in as smooth a manner as possible. He cared and he smiled and as a result. he made others care and smile, too. Thank you, Don.
Deb Hupf Sweley
06/18/2015
My sincere condolences to Don's family and friends (of whom I'm certain there are MANY). We were classmates at GICC in Grand Island and I always found Don to be a good listener and a caring person, with a sense of humor and just a very genuine person. The world is missing a very special man now, but heaven is richer by far and Don will always be our friend through eternity!
Kelly Conner
06/17/2015
my heart is aching for the loss of Don,, I also worked with Don over the years at the VA. I will miss his cowardly lion imitation put em up, put em up. how he made me laugh. my thoughts are with the family. I will miss him deeply. love you Don
Jean Johnson
06/16/2015
We have an angel watching over us. He is a special angel. He answered all my work questions. He answered the same questions over and over. Never getting upset with me. I will think of Don when I wear purple. He loved to plan parties. We celebrated birthdays, holidays and even celebrated it being Tuesday. We will see you again wearing purple and being the host with most.
Mo Alavi
06/16/2015
Dear Leeper family & friends , I had the pleasure of working with Don at Marriott for about 3 years . He was such a great friend at work . The guests loved him because he was so genuine & treated everyone with respect & sincerity . We had many laughs together , and enjoyed working together . I will miss him as I know you do , and my sincere condolences to you & all of his friends & associates .
Janetrose
06/16/2015
I talked to Don many times on the phone at the VA and seen him through out the VA for many years. I thought he was a very nice person and pleasant always. So sorry to see he passed away. my deepest sympathy to his loved ones.
Sue Reed
06/15/2015
Dear Cheryl, Diane, Donna, & Kevin:
I met Don about 1986, we became close friends & shared a lot of good times & some bad ones too. Don always put everyone & everything before himself, that was just DON!
I cherish memories of trips to the State Fair, that Darn fire in the duplex, and so many more moments. Maybe he & Michelle Adams are smiling at us, I know the 3 of us had a lot of good times!
Cheryl- I think you are so special for being Don's close friend, you meant so very much to him.
We've lost one of the best. Keep those precious memories close to your heart and a smile will be on your face.
My Love and condolences to all of you that knew and loved Don.
Sue (King) Reed - Iowa City
Sharon Woods
06/15/2015
Thank-you Don for taking a chance on me & hiring me for a job I just loved doing for multiple years. I loved translating notes you had written to yourself. You like my mom, who's handwriting like yours was awful, had a heart was full of love for everyone as was your heart. No farewell words were spoken, no time to say goodbye. You were gone before we knew it, & only God knows why. Secret tears still flow, what it meant to lose you, no one will ever know. Thank-you for being my Friend! My condolences to Cheryl, Diane, Donna, Kevin & the multiple friends Don had in his heart & life! I know Don & Michelle Adams are smiling at us right now!
Randy Marchant
06/14/2015
Aaah yes a loyal friend is how I define Don. I grieve for those who were close to him as a partner, friend and family. I met Don at the VA and worked with him for 20yrs. Laughing, joking, serious work and sharing a dislike for those things that were wrong. Cheryl you know what a character he could be, one in which will never be forgotten, please accept my condolences. My memories are endless.
DeEtte Petrie
06/14/2015
I am so sorry for the loss of your partner and brother.
Don and I shared an office beginning in 1995 (which is now a telephone closet!). He was my friend and confidant for 40 hours a week over 19 years.
My favorite memory is our "work trip" to Washington D.C.. We went to every bit of training we were supposed to attend, but after that, Don and I "did Washington". We saw every memorial there was to see and even the White House decorated by Martha Stewart! One event we were laughing about just recently was when we left the Planet Hollywood one night it was starting to rain. There was a bum standing on the sidewalk with an umbrella. He offered to sell it to Don for $10.00. Don (always being the gentleman) bought it. As we walked away he opened it up to see one side flopping down! We turned to look for the guy who, was of course, nowhere around. We laughed about that for years. One night we went to the Hard Rock Cafe at around 10pm and were told there was a radio stations private Christmas party going on. The guy said "Oh, ok come on in"! The Rembrandt's were playing the theme song from "Friends"...how fitting.
I will miss laughing and sharing our memories from the past with him greatly.
See you later my dear friend...
Nancy South
06/14/2015
I was so saddened to read in the paper this morning about Don's passing. Worked with Don for many years at the VA. He was a good friend and always had a smile on is face, and I remember his little giggle when he laughed. He will be missed by all who knew him. My thoughts are with you Cheryl, and all the Leeper family and friends. Blessings to you all.
John Frakes
06/13/2015
Don was a dear friend to me from 1979 to present. We spent a lot of time together and were room mates for a time. I always made a point to visit Don and spend time with him when I came home to visit family, because Don was a part of my family. I will miss Don so very much and grieve with all of his family and friends. May you rest in peace my dear friend.