Donald “Don” Francis Thole

Obituary

Donald Francis Thole was born on June 2, 1934, in Glencoe, Minnesota. He was the son of Henry and Olga (Rannow) Thole. Donald was baptized as an infant on June 10, 1934, at St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Glencoe and received his first holy communion on May 28, 1944, by Reverend DJ Gregory. He was later confirmed in his catholic faith at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his early education in St. Paul but later graduated from Glencoe High School with the Class of 1952. After high school, Donald furthered his education as a television repairman.

Donald was united in marriage to Darlene Ann (Weber) Witthus from 1959-1970. This marriage was blessed with four children, Dennis, Denise, Doris, and Dorine.

On November 3, 1978, Donald was united in marriage to Caroline (Schulz) Pfeifer at St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Glencoe. They shared 16 years of marriage until Caroline passed away on July 12, 1994.

Donald worked at a TV repair company in St. Paul, Minnesota. He later worked for Suburban Plumbing Supply in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and retired after 28 years in 1996.

He enjoyed fishing, watching sports, dancing and collecting aluminum cans. Donald loved clipping coupons/filling out rebates and entering sweepstakes.  In 1996, he won a DeLorean car, however, opted to take cash vs. the car.  He liked to play the lottery and would occasionally visit the casinos for his entertainment.  In his early days, he was a pitcher on one of the Glencoe baseball teams.  He later became a polka dancer and was a member of the Polka club for over 10 years.

Donald passed away on Sunday, November 29, 2020, at GlenFields Living with Care in Glencoe, at the age of 86 years, 5 months, and 27 days. Blessed be his memory.

Donald is survived by his:
Children, Dennis Thole (Kelly), Glencoe, MN,
Denise Ballman (fiancée, Kem Anderson), Springfield, MN,
Doris Kroyer (Steve), Rosemount, MN,
Dorine Vanderlinde (Dan), Mayer, MN;
Stepdaughter, Deb Christensen (special friend, Gary Zencius), Glencoe, MN;
Grandchildren, Jonathan Thole (special friend, Kathy Ortiz) of Miami, FL,
Melissa Davidson (Charles) of Belle Plaine, MN,
Mitchell Ballman (Tina) of Princeton, MN,
Grayson Kroyer (Trisha) of Corcoran, MN,
Blake Kroyer (Heather) of Savage, MN;
Great-Grandchildren, Elise, Cullen, Chester, Pearl, Crosby, and Brynlee;
Siblings, Kenneth Blum of St. Paul, MN,
Kathleen Weissmann of St. Paul, MN;
Nephew, John Weissmann of St. Paul, MN;
Many other relatives and friends.

Donald is preceded in death by his Parents, Henry and Olga Thole; Stepfather, Leonard Blum; Second Wife, Caroline Thole; Special Friend, Joyce Flusemann; Brother-In-Law, Peter Weissmann.