Donald Ira French Jr., 90, of Berlin, New York passed away late at night on Monday, July 29th at home of natural causes.
He was born to Donald and Dorothy French in Albany, New York in September 1933. After high school, Don attended Brigham Young University to study farming and education. When he moved to Berlin, New York, Don taught History at Berlin High School. He worked there for 16 years before retiring and has enjoyed watching many of his students grow up, running into them, and talking about the mischief caused in those school hallways.
Don met the love of his life, Mary Jean French, in 1956 while attending college at BYU. He would reminisce that he saw this cute girl with platinum blonde hair walking her dog with her roommate. He used the dog as an excuse to introduce himself. Mary thought Don was interested in her roommate, so you can imagine her surprise when he came knocking on her door and said “I’m not here to see Terry. I’m here to see you.” That was just the start of Don and Mary. Excited to embark on their new lives together, the two were married at the Salt Lake Temple on December 20th, 1957. Don and Mary couldn’t wait to start a family of their own, and their children, Alinda, Donald Ira III, Warren, and Gary, meant the world to them.
After retiring early from teaching, Don focused more of his time on his farm raising beef. He went on to start his own construction business in 1984, Don French & Sons. Building log homes was the focus in the early years, but they later went on to design and build timber frames. Don’s son Warren still runs the business, and the family farm continues to this day with the addition of chickens by some of the grandsons.
After passing on the business, Don continued to stay busy helping Mary with all of the grandchildren as well as staying active in his community. He served on the zoning committee for the town of Berlin for several years and was active in the Stephentown Federated Church and the Berlin Library Book Club.
Don will always be remembered for his kindness, his humor and quick wit, and his never-ending limericks to the grandkids. We couldn’t have asked for a better Father, Grandfather, and Great-Grandfather, and we will miss Don every day. His memory will live on in the hearts of all those who loved him.
Don was preceded in death by his wife Mary and his daughter Alinda and is survived by his sister Diana, his three sons, ten grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at the Stephentown Federated Church on September 21st, at 4 pm to celebrate Don’s life. Donations to the Stephentown Federated Church and the Berlin Library would be greatly appreciated as they were very important to him.