| Graduation Year | Class of 1956 |
| Date of Birth | Jun 10, 1938 |
| Date of Passing | Oct 08, 2024 |
| About | Donald A. Cawthra, age 86, passed away Tuesday, October 8, 2024. He was born June 10, 1938 in Zanesville, OH to the late Thomas and Ruth (McCarthy) Cawthra. A devout Catholic, he was a member of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Mechanicsburg. He loved going to mass, celebrating the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and devoting his life to the Lord. Don went on to meet Sally Maeyer and both were married on December 7, 1974. Shortly after getting married, Don and Sally purchased Hickory Row Farm in Dillsburg. The white and green farmette was their home for the next forty-odd years. They gardened, farmed, and crafted a beautiful oasis in central Pennsylvania. Don especially worked the landscape, mowing, trimming, managing, maintaining, swan wrangling. You could say he never retired, he just worked the farm. Together, they both worked to create and grow DACCO Industries, a company they started. Together they built a small company from a humble garage, to one with offices, manufacturing floor, and warehouse. They sold the company to ITW in 1996. Don and Sally would spend winters in Sanibel, Florida together, enjoying the sunsets and beautiful gulf waters. Don continued his landscaping work at Sanibel, still clearing and maintaining the landscape. His beloved wife Sally would pass away in 2019. Don would continue to manage the farm as he loved to do. He was a good man, as good as they come, a model for how to be, in work, in play, and in friendships. He cared deeply for his family, for his friends, and for his neighbors. He will be missed. Don was preceded in death by his wife, Sara L. (Maeyer) Cawthra; sister, Ann Wallace. He is survived by daughter Jennifer Cawthra, her husband Robert Peters, and their son Joseph; son William Cawthra, his wife Julia, and their daughters Annabelle and Eliza; brother William Cawthra, his wife Joan. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Mechanicsburg where there will be a visitation beginning at 10:00 AM. Burial will take place in Gate of Heaven Cemetery. |
