Donald Frank Kalkis
- Published: June 1, 2017
Donald Frank Kalkis
Donald Frank Kalkis, of Yellow Springs and formerly Huber Heights, passed away peacefully at the Cleveland Clinic on May 23, 2017, after a short illness. He was born May 12, 1934, in Waterloo, Iowa, the first son of Paul Peter Kalkis and Nitella Myers Kalkis. He graduated from Iowa State University in engineering and worked at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in the Aerospace Systems Conceptual Design and Analysis group.
He leaves his wife and best friend of 15 years, Mary Jane (MJ) Kalkis, of Yellow Springs; his three children, David Kalkis and wife Loren, of Abu Dhabi, UAE, Lynne Meyer and husband Peter, of Centreville, Va., and Robert Kalkis, of Huber Heights; three grandchildren, Lane, Maron and Ceaira; a great-grandchild, Paisley Renee; Mary Jane’s daughters Renee Brown Heckler, husband Jason and son Joshua, of Edina, Minn., and Erin Brown and husband Eddie Chyun and their children Jackson and Alana, all of Shaker Heights, Ohio; brother Roger Kalkis and brother-in-law Robbie Sanders and their families. He was preceded in death by his wife Sharon Lee Kalkis and his brother Kenneth Kalkis.
Don enjoyed sports and music throughout his life: skiing, boating, ice skating, swimming, running, tennis, and tai chi. He and MJ spent many evenings walking around Yellow Springs admiring gardens on their way. Camping with family was one of his great delights, especially annual trips to Interlochen Music Camp and kayaking down the Little Betsy River. Music was always a joy to him and he was an avid concert-goer and collector of classical music and jazz. Few people realize that he had a beautiful singing voice.
Don was an elegant ballroom dancer. He led MJ through all the classes from basic to silver, and they enjoyed years of dancing together and learning new steps. In recent years he resurrected his love of bridge. He was an excellent cook and loved chocolate cake and sweet treats. Above all, he loved working and playing on his computer.
He was a sweet and gentle man and will be missed by everyone who knew him.
There will be an informal open-house for family and friends to gather at the Kalkis home on Sunday afternoon July 2, from 2 to 5 p.m.
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R.I.p pawpaw God bless