Heartfelt condolences to your family Beth. Cousin Marsha

When I first came to know my uncle, Don Gatlin, his place in the family was already established. But what impressed me over the years is how he had come to find this place. As an outsider, marrying into a large, rambunctious, heterogeneous family with lots of sharp and prominent personalities, he was an oasis of calm who yet held his own. He was a wonderful son-in-law to my grandmother, and she really loved him and constantly sung his praises. Many years later, when I finally got married in midlife, Don really was the example for me of how to be a son-in-law and how to fit into a new family. He ended up being somebody I saw nearly every Christmas in my life, and my first memory of him actually is unwrapping a Christmas present, in perhaps 1971 or so, something which I was to see him do nearly 50 more times. Christmas for me will always be filled with memories of him. Don was always there for people. Always reliable, always sensible, always ready to listen. He valued so much being a husband to Karen, a father to Beth and Donny, a brother to Gail, a father-in-law to Vicky and an adoring, supportive, and caring grandfather to Julianna. He could talk about anything: travel, music, sports, and all sorts of other interests. Even when he did not share the same opinion as other people, he was never disagreeable or contentious, and invariably polite. Don’s family, before they moved to New Jersey, lived in Chicago originally, and I was always aware that he was a Chicago White Sox fan as well as being interested in the New York area teams. My last discussion about sports with him was with respect to the 2021 Field of Dreams game between the Yankees and White Sox and the latter’s miraculous comeback. I always enjoyed talking with him about the old players that he actually saw play growing up in the 1950s, that I had never seen play. It was a nice bond that we had and I’m glad that we both worked to establish that. Don was wonderfully hospitable to Isabella when she first came into the family and made her feel at home. We could not have asked for more from him in being so welcoming and supportive. Don was a man of great decency. He respected himself, he showed respect to others, and he was respected by others. He was a good citizen, good father, good grandfather, and truly exceptional son-in-law. I’m really going to miss him, and it will be hard to think of life, especially on Christmas, without him.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.