Don was born in Chicago, Illinois March 31, 1926 and grew up in Miami, Florida. He started working at the US Postal Service part time when he was 14. At 17, while still in high school, he enlisted in the US Navy and fought in WWII. At the age of 20 he was rehired at the USPS and retired as postmaster of Belle Glade, Florida. He retired from the United States Naval Reserve as a Commander in 1975.

In 1983, he became a full time farmer in Live Oak, maintaining cows and a u-pick blueberry farm. Between 1992 and 1994, he served as chief of the Suwannee County Stagecoach Volunteer Fire Department. He served as a deacon at Sierra Norwood Baptist Church in Miami. He was a member of First Baptist Church, Live Oak, and was an active Mason.