Background:  

Donnie was born in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin called West Allis. He was born in his house. As a boy he attended grade school in West Allis through the second grade. Around 1940 his parents divorced and his mother did not have the means to support them. The County took Donnie, his brother Billy, and sister Nancy to the Milwaukee County Orphanage.

After about 15 months at the orphanage, Louise and Julie Rose (Donnie’s Aunts) were awarded custody of the children and they took them to Curryville, Missouri to live with them and the childrens grandfather George Sanford Rose.

In 1946 Donnie moved to Toro Canyon, Santa Barbara, California to live with his Uncle George Harve Rose and his wife Margaret. There he attended school and graduated from the eighth grade at Carpinteria Union Elementary School. He was selected to speak at his graduation. Following his graduation he stayed on at his uncle’s lemon ranch through the summer.

Following that summer he moved back to Milwaukee where he was reunited with his brother, sister, mother, and his new stepfather, Norbert Richertz. Norbert and Mabel had also had a child of their own in 1947 named Marsha. Once back in Milwaukee, Donnie attended West Division High School but left during his sophomore year to work full time. He became a Carpenters Apprentice and also attended vocational school for about a year learning his new trade. Because of carpentry work being too seasonal, he took a job with Solar Optical Company where he ground eyeglass lenses for about a year. While working for Solar Optical Company, Donnie’s friend Danny, introduced him to Judy Gableman, a friend of Danny’s girlfriend.

Donnie was 17 and Judy was 16. They dated for several months until Donnie’s older brother Billy came home on leave from the Army where he was the lead trombonist for the Army Band. He asked Donnie to move away with him to ElPaso, Texas where he was stationed. Donnie left with his brother.

While in ElPaso, Donnie secretly lived on Post with his brother and the other band members. He corresponded continually with his girlfriend Judy, back in Milwaukee. He took a job in El Paso as an Electrical Apprentice with Clarkson & Baer Electric Company. When he got enough money together he mailed Judy an engagement ring and asked her to marry him; she accepted.

Judy took a train alone from Milwaukee to El Paso which was involved in three separate accidents during the long trip. Some People were killed in one of the accidents, but Judy was unharmed. She arrived in El Paso and the two were married at St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was a small wedding attended by Donnie’s mother, stepfather, brother, sister and stepsister, Billy’s wife, Yvonne (Thresher), all of whom arrived shortly after Judy. Billy and Yvonne, Don and Judy, and Nancy all decided to share a house in Ysletta, Texas.

The three girls worked next door to the service station at a Chinese food, drive-in restaurant. The only girls employed were the "three Rose girls". They each took their turns at being carhops, waitressing inside, and working the fountain. The two Chinese brothers who owned the business were quite pleased with the Rose girls and later stated that the business boomed because of them. The restaurant was located on the edge of town, near Fort Bliss Army Base and Briggs Air Force Base.

In August, 1951, Judy became pregnant and was ill most of the time. So, Don and Judy decided to head north. They got a ride with Army buddy, Duane Delveaux, in his 1932 Packard Coupe. He lived in Oskaloosa, Iowa so they stayed on a farm belonging to Judy’s Grandma, Elizabeth Schroeder, in Ossian, Iowa. Later they moved to West Allis, Wisconsin and lived with Judy’s parents. Their first child, Laura Gene was born on May 4, 1952. In 1953 Judy was again pregnant and they moved into their own apartment. Don now worked for Sterling Motor Truck Company as an Assembler, where he stayed for two years. Later he got a job with Wilke Dairy Company delivering milk to residences and businesses. As a new employee with Wilke he was given routes on the rough side of Milwaukee.

He soon left Wilke and drove truck for various companies for a few years. Around 1957 Skil Corporation hired him. He reparied electric and pneumatic tools for about two years. While at Skil, Don and Judy bought their first home at 139 S. 79^th Street in Milwaukee. By September 1959, Don left Skil Corporation and started what would be a long career in the insurance industry.

He worked for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. His new job required a high school diploma so Don took the Equivalency Test at the University of Wisconsin, which he passed with a rating equivalent to a second year college student.

As Don’s career moved upward he was required to relocate numerous times. In 1961 he went to work for Rural Security Life Insurance Company and moved his family to Brookfield, Wisconsin. In 1965 they moved to Madison, Wisconsin and in 1966 moved again to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. By this time Don and Judy had seven children; four boys and three girls. In 1971 Don was offered a position with Teschner Insurance Agency in Crandon, Wisconsin. The family moved leaving behind their two oldest children, now both graduated from high school.

The oldest daughter Laura was a college student and the oldest son Donnie Jr. had a full-time job in a restaurant. Once in Crandon, Don and Judy decided to build a home on twenty acres of woods they had purchased. While the building was in progress the family rented a log cabin on Lake Lucerne. After moving into the new home, Don left Teschner Insurance and opened his own independent insurance agency where he worked successfully for many years.

In 1978 Don sold his business and moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan where he opened a new insurance agency. His older brother Billy lived in Grand Rapids by this time with his family. Only months after the move, Don and Judy were contacted by his Aunts Julia Rose and Louise Morris, now living in Arroyo Grande, California. They wanted Don and Judy to move to Arroyo Grande and help them take care of their fruit ranch. They agreed and made the move. By this time all of Don and Judy’s children were adults living on their own. After arriving in California, Don took a job with Pan American Underwriters Insurance Company as a Customer Service Representative.