Donald M. Destry

Visitation for Donald Martin Destry, 78, will be held Monday, June 9, 2014 from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. at St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Church, 1201 E. Anderson Drive, Palatine.  An Interment will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Freemont Township.

He passed away peacefully, at home, on June 5, 2014.  Donald was born on March 21, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois to Martin and Cecilia (Dombrowski) Dybalski and grew up on the South Side of Chicago.  He attended St. Killian Grammar School and Morgan Park Military Academy.  He graduated with a B.S. Degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue University in 1958.  He was a member of the U.S. Navy Reserve for 8 years as an Electronic Communications Specialist and instructor.  He met his wife Barbara in Chicago. They would have been married for 55 years on June 6th.  The family moved to Palatine in 1970.  Donald was a longtime member of St. Thomas of Villanova Church.  Donald (Don) spent his career in sales, management and metal production and fabrication, but his passion was the design and manufacture of firearms training equipment for Municipal and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.  Don was a past Cub Scout and Boy Scout Leader.  He was an avid woodworker, craftsman and mechanic and loved to design and build things.  He loved his summer home in northern Wisconsin, which he designed and built.  Don enjoyed fishing, camping, holiday gatherings and Friday night fish-fry’s, always with his family.

He was preceded in death by his loving wife Barbara on March 23, 2014.  He is survived by his four children whom he loved dearly: Christopher (Susan) Destry of Zionsville, Indiana, Laura (Keith) Hunt of Hawthorn Woods, IL, Lynn Destry of Round Lake, IL and Julie Destry of Lake Zurich, IL.  Donald is also survived by four beautiful grandchildren that he cherished, Katherine and Daniel Destry of Zionsville, Indiana and Delaney and Kevin Hunt of Hawthorn Woods, IL. and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations would be appreciated to Mount Saint Joseph Association, 24955 N. U.S. Highway 12, Lake Zurich, IL 60047.