Donald I. Angelbeck, age 79, passed away Wednesday November 24th at his residence surrounded by his loving family.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Irvin F. Angelbeck & Arline C. Stroh Angelbeck & son, John Christopher Angelbeck. He is survived by his wife, Darla Angelbeck; daughters, Rebecca (Brian) Muellers & Emily Angelbeck; step-daughters, Julia (Chris) Taylor & Robyn Corner; 7 grandchildren, Josh Muellers, Anabelle Muellers, Harry Muellers, Anthony Taylor, Jeremy Taylor, Kylie Taylor, & Chloe Corner.
Don retired as a Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of Toledo. He is fondly remembered for his love of music and talent as a saxophone player. He also shared his love of woodcarving by creating beautiful sculptures and statues for countless family & friends.
A Celebration of Life gathering will be held in Lebanon, Tennessee, on July 16, 2022 at 11:00am. Please see the Events section of this memorial page for more details.
Don was a long time sailor, and his most prized boat was fondly named The Zephyr. He took incredible care of that boat, and happily sailed Lake Erie for hours on end. The Zephyr is still in amazing shape and continues to sail the waters of New Jersey at SEAS Bergen, a non-profit, all volunteer organization and sailing club dedicated to education and shared enjoyment of sailing. Donations can be made to SEAS Bergen, in Don's memory. The SOCIETY FOR THE EDUCATION OF AMERICAN SAILORS INC - BERGEN CHAPTER. Please go to the Giving section of this memorial page to make a donation.
Don's engineering students will always remember Dr. Angelbeck saying, "You just need shit, grit & mother wit!". We're not entirely sure, but Don's inspiration for that saying may have come from Ralph Ellison's book, "Invisible Man". May it inspire you all to dig a little deeper, and work a little harder, to get what you want in life. Here's the exact quote from that book:
“All it takes to get along in this here man's town is a little shit, grit, and mother-wit.”
― Ralph Ellison, from the book, "Invisible Man"