Donald W. Dunlap, 87, of Indiana, died Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, at Indiana Regional Medical Center surrounded by his loving and devoted family.
He was born to Woodrow and Alma (Brown) Dunlap on Feb. 2, 1934 in Cherry Tree.
Don graduated from Barnesboro High School in 1952 where he was a star running back for the Red Dragons, which earned him three full scholarships to Michigan State University, St. Francis University, and University of Pittsburgh. Football remained a key interest in his life whether it was high school, college or NFL. He was a quiet, but devoted Steelers fan who tried never to miss a game on TV and could quickly give other fans a run-down of player and team statistics at the drop of a hat.
He was a devout Christian and member of the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ where he contributed to the daily care of the church and its members. He was well known and highly respected throughout the Church of Christ national community and had many church friends he enjoyed visiting and talking to throughout the country.
Don loved to travel, especially by car. Prior to our Google-anything-world, he spent many hours poring through AAA travel books and the encyclopedia researching what he would like to see. Often his family was caught off guard when he would ascend from the basement where the encyclopedia was kept and quiz each of them about the population of Hawaii, the height of Mt. McKinley, or the square mileage of Death Valley. While he did enjoy traveling abroad to such places as Italy, France, Ireland, and England, he loved the United States the best.
His career in the hardwood lumber business spanned over 50 years; first as a lumber inspector, then a salesman, and finally as a business owner. He began his first business before the age of thirty and despite the bank’s predictions turned a profit the first month. Several years later, his reputation as an intelligent, trustworthy businessman, where his word was his bond, brought him the opportunity to work with 3 other men to create American Lumber Company to sell hardwood lumber overseas. After an agreement to sell American Lumber Company to Hammermill Paper Company, Don thought he was ready to retire, but by 1991, he was back at it again starting a business selling hardwood from West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania to Europe and England. He finally retired for good in 2004 and focused on spending more time with his wife, children, and growing number of grandchildren.
Don Dunlap was a true family patriarch who watched over his family and tried to guide them with wisdom, love, and forgiveness. His love of jokes was known far and wide with business friends, his church family, and at home. He was dedicated to making sure his family was safe and cared for, although when it came to playing around with his grandchildren, their toes were never safe from his tickling and tugging on them. This was usually followed by a bad joke that they might have heard several times by the time they were twelve, but they all sensed it was his way of soothing stress, relieving boredom, or just finding a way to connect with them.
He is survived in death by his loving wife of 52 years, Melissa (Lewis) Dunlap; his children, Joel Dunlap and his wife Debbie, of California, Md.; Heidi Bauer and her husband, Tim, of Huntingtown, Md.; Kristi Burhenn and her husband, Dave, of Aliquippa; his grandchildren, Jocelyn, Woody, Joey, Emily, Ellen, Lauren, Candice, Bryce, Brooke, Ben; and his great-grandchildren, Nathan and Sadie.
Family will receive friends on Sunday, Dec. 12, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Robinson-Lytle-Shoemaker Funeral Home, 36 N. 7th St., Indiana, where services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 13, with Brother Mike Criswell officiating. Interment will be held at Oakland Cemetery for family only.
At the family’s request, masks are required.
To view the online obituary, sign the online guest register or send condolences, please visit www.robinsonlytleshoemaker.com
