Monday, September 18, 2023 ~ 10:30 a.m.
St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church ~ Wahoo, Nebraska
Interment at St. Francis Cemetery ~ Wahoo, Nebraska
Monday, September 18, 2023 ~ 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church ~ Wahoo, Nebraska
Hospice and Home Healthcare of Saunders County
Donald Gaylord Fair died on September 12, 2023 at home with his loving family, supported by Hospice and Home Healthcare of Saunders County. Don was born on May 30, 1927, in Elwood, Nebraska to Maggie L. Cooley Fair and James L. Fair. He married S. Joan Ogorsolka on August 22, 1950. They had six children: Patricia Fair (Gordon Riedesel), Micki Hueftle, Timothy (Robin Butler-Fair), Karen Jonas (Steve), Thomas, and Christopher. He had ten grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. He was pre-deceased by his son, Thomas; his parents; and his two sisters, Marge and Thelma.
He graduated from Lexington High School in 1945, where he lettered in both football and basketball. He became an Air Cadet during his junior year of high school and, upon graduation, joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, which later became the U.S. Air Force. He was posted to post-World War II occupied Germany.
After receiving his honorable discharge in 1947, he returned to Lexington and began working for the telephone company. He got married and farmed with his Ogorsolka parents-in-law. After sustaining a back injury, he left farming and once again began working for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company where he spent his career. Taking early retirement, he then began working for the National Exchange Carrier Association for ten years before retiring fulltime.
Don loved all things mechanical, whether cars, trucks, or machinery, but most especially, airplanes. He received his private pilot’s license in and spent many happy hours flying his plane. On his 90th birthday, he gave himself a flying lesson so that he could enjoy being in the air once again.
Always the engineer and with a creative mind, he invented and patented Lite-Larm in the 1960s, a device to let the driver know when the lights were left on so that the battery wouldn’t be depleted. He also invented and patented a device to read utility meters remotely.
He and Joan were avid golfers and enjoyed golfing almost daily when they lived in Palm Desert, CA upon their retirement.
The family thanks Hospice and Home Healthcare of Saunders County for the excellent care and support.
