Donald Carey obituary: Donald Carey's Obituary, Dove Topeka
In Memory Of
Donald Eugene "Don" Carey
1949 - 2024
In Memory Of
Donald Eugene "Don" Carey
1949 - 2024
Donald Eugene Carey, 75, of Topeka, passed away Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
He was born February 17, 1949, in Smithville, Missouri, the son of John Emmett "Elmer" and Nellie Marie (Mathias) Carey. The family moved to Topeka, Kansas in 1950.
Don's formal education was Randolph Elementary, Boswell Junior High and he graduated with the Class of 1967 at Silver Lake High School. During his high school years, he began employment with the Green Lantern Cafe in North Topeka in the kitchen washing dishes and waiting tables following the 1966 tornado. When an opportunity at Ira Price's Cafe opened up he began as a cook. "Remember the fried chicken?" Then Uncle Sam called and Don enlisted in the US Army and went active duty in June of 1968 with basic training in A.I.T. (Advanced Individual Training) at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. This was followed with his first permanent duty station at Fort Carson, Colorado. Then in June 1969 he was transferred to Mannheim, Germany's Taylor Barracks for the next 22 months. He was honorably discharged at Fort Dix, New Jersey in June of 1971.
Following his military discharge, he returned to Ira Price's cafe when an opportunity at Tommy's Fine Foods happened approximately three years later. While living in Junction City, Kansas he cooked at Hanson's nursing home and returned to Topeka and while employed with Tommy's Fine Foods again he met his first wife, Deborah Kay Berryman. To that marriage a daughter Victoria Grace Carey was born in 1977. Don also worked for Myron Green's Cafeteria in White Lakes Mall and Kansas Reception and Diagnostic Center in Topeka as a cook. His second marriage to Nancy Joann Shoulders also ended in divorce.
Don worked for the City of Topeka and the Shawnee County Health Department as a housing inspector. He retired in 2010 after 33 years that ended with the Topeka Police Department, still inspecting houses.
Don's best memories were when he got to spend summers and holidays with his Aunt Edith and Uncle Emory Deaton in rural Ottawa, Kansas and his Aunt Mildred and Uncle Henry Brown in rural Princeton, Kansas. The farms didn't have all the modern conveniences but who cared. Cousin Ruby and Don dressed up in old clothes and fished in the creek until they were scared out by a snake or two - the poles stayed and waited until their courage built up. There were the play houses, digging worms for fishing and getting a bath of cold well water after rolling in the mud in the driveway ruts. City kid Don also found out you do not milk a cow from the left side - ouch what a kick ole Bessie had!
Don also enjoyed 13-point pitch card games, crossword puzzles, watching TV all hours of the day and night and dancing. He loved his family and provided for them all – including caring for his mother after his retirement.
Don was preceded in death by a sister prior to his birth - Shirley Jean Carey - which resulted from injuries received in an automobile accident in 1947; grandparents John William and Leona Grace (Kidwell) Carey and David Leander and Ada Mary (Kennedy) Mathias; his parents John Emmett and Nellie Marie; Aunt Edith and Uncle Emory Deaton, Uncle Henry and Aunt Mildred Brown and Aunt Ruth Mathias-Rathjen and Uncle Alford "Doc" Mathias; and step-granddaughter Tamra Dennis. Survivors include his daughter Victoria G. Carey (fiancé Kirk Taylor) of Topeka; grandchildren Kalub, Kolton and Kameron; great-grandson Bryson Everett-Knox Craig; stepchildren Martha Griffith of Topeka, Kelvin Lynn of Topeka, Nancy Roy of Topeka, Lois Taylor of Ozark, MO and Earnest Jackson of Plano, TX; step-grandchildren Jonathan Morse, Makenzie, Samantha, Jessica Lake, Michelle, William, Gio, Nico and Melo Jackson; and many beloved cousins.
Don was a former member of Kansas Association of Code Enforcement, the Wheatheart Square Dance Club and a current member of the American Legion Post 400 of Topeka.
A funeral ceremony will be at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 23rd, 2024 at the Mount Hope Chapel, 4700 SW 17th Street in Topeka. Interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery. The family will receive friends from noon to 1:00 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 3846 W 75th Street, Prairie Village, KS 66208.
Dove Cremations and Funerals Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.
To share a memory of Don or leave a special message for his family, please click the Share Memories button above.
The service will be livestreamed at the time designated above. To view the live stream click here.
He was born February 17, 1949, in Smithville, Missouri, the son of John Emmett "Elmer" and Nellie Marie (Mathias) Carey. The family moved to Topeka, Kansas in 1950.
Don's formal education was Randolph Elementary, Boswell Junior High and he graduated with the Class of 1967 at Silver Lake High School. During his high school years, he began employment with the Green Lantern Cafe in North Topeka in the kitchen washing dishes and waiting tables following the 1966 tornado. When an opportunity at Ira Price's Cafe opened up he began as a cook. "Remember the fried chicken?" Then Uncle Sam called and Don enlisted in the US Army and went active duty in June of 1968 with basic training in A.I.T. (Advanced Individual Training) at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. This was followed with his first permanent duty station at Fort Carson, Colorado. Then in June 1969 he was transferred to Mannheim, Germany's Taylor Barracks for the next 22 months. He was honorably discharged at Fort Dix, New Jersey in June of 1971.
Following his military discharge, he returned to Ira Price's cafe when an opportunity at Tommy's Fine Foods happened approximately three years later. While living in Junction City, Kansas he cooked at Hanson's nursing home and returned to Topeka and while employed with Tommy's Fine Foods again he met his first wife, Deborah Kay Berryman. To that marriage a daughter Victoria Grace Carey was born in 1977. Don also worked for Myron Green's Cafeteria in White Lakes Mall and Kansas Reception and Diagnostic Center in Topeka as a cook. His second marriage to Nancy Joann Shoulders also ended in divorce.
Don worked for the City of Topeka and the Shawnee County Health Department as a housing inspector. He retired in 2010 after 33 years that ended with the Topeka Police Department, still inspecting houses.
Don's best memories were when he got to spend summers and holidays with his Aunt Edith and Uncle Emory Deaton in rural Ottawa, Kansas and his Aunt Mildred and Uncle Henry Brown in rural Princeton, Kansas. The farms didn't have all the modern conveniences but who cared. Cousin Ruby and Don dressed up in old clothes and fished in the creek until they were scared out by a snake or two - the poles stayed and waited until their courage built up. There were the play houses, digging worms for fishing and getting a bath of cold well water after rolling in the mud in the driveway ruts. City kid Don also found out you do not milk a cow from the left side - ouch what a kick ole Bessie had!
Don also enjoyed 13-point pitch card games, crossword puzzles, watching TV all hours of the day and night and dancing. He loved his family and provided for them all – including caring for his mother after his retirement.
Don was preceded in death by a sister prior to his birth - Shirley Jean Carey - which resulted from injuries received in an automobile accident in 1947; grandparents John William and Leona Grace (Kidwell) Carey and David Leander and Ada Mary (Kennedy) Mathias; his parents John Emmett and Nellie Marie; Aunt Edith and Uncle Emory Deaton, Uncle Henry and Aunt Mildred Brown and Aunt Ruth Mathias-Rathjen and Uncle Alford "Doc" Mathias; and step-granddaughter Tamra Dennis. Survivors include his daughter Victoria G. Carey (fiancé Kirk Taylor) of Topeka; grandchildren Kalub, Kolton and Kameron; great-grandson Bryson Everett-Knox Craig; stepchildren Martha Griffith of Topeka, Kelvin Lynn of Topeka, Nancy Roy of Topeka, Lois Taylor of Ozark, MO and Earnest Jackson of Plano, TX; step-grandchildren Jonathan Morse, Makenzie, Samantha, Jessica Lake, Michelle, William, Gio, Nico and Melo Jackson; and many beloved cousins.
Don was a former member of Kansas Association of Code Enforcement, the Wheatheart Square Dance Club and a current member of the American Legion Post 400 of Topeka.
A funeral ceremony will be at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 23rd, 2024 at the Mount Hope Chapel, 4700 SW 17th Street in Topeka. Interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery. The family will receive friends from noon to 1:00 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 3846 W 75th Street, Prairie Village, KS 66208.
Dove Cremations and Funerals Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.
To share a memory of Don or leave a special message for his family, please click the Share Memories button above.
The service will be livestreamed at the time designated above. To view the live stream click here.
Donald Eugene Carey, 75, of Topeka, passed away Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
He was born February 17, 1949, in Smithville, Missouri, the son of John Emmett "Elmer" and Nellie Marie (Mathias) Carey. The family moved to Topeka, Kansas in 1950.
Don's formal education was Randolph Elementary, Boswell Junior High and he graduated with the Class of 1967 at Silver Lake High School. During his high school years, he began employment with the Green Lantern Cafe in North Topeka in the kitchen washing dishes and waiting tables following the 1966 tornado. When an opportunity at Ira Price's Cafe opened up he began as a cook. "Remember the fried chicken?" Then Uncle Sam called and Don enlisted in the US Army and went active duty in June of 1968 with basic training in A.I.T. (Advanced Individual Training) at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. This was followed with his first permanent duty station at Fort Carson, Colorado. Then in June 1969 he was transferred to Mannheim, Germany's Taylor Barracks for the next 22 months. He was honorably discharged at Fort Dix, New Jersey in June of 1971.
Following his military discharge, he returned to Ira Price's cafe when an opportunity at Tommy's Fine Foods happened approximately three years later. While living in Junction City, Kansas he cooked at Hanson's nursing home and returned to Topeka and while employed with Tommy's Fine Foods again he met his first wife, Deborah Kay Berryman. To that marriage a daughter Victoria Grace Carey was born in 1977. Don also worked for Myron Green's Cafeteria in White Lakes Mall and Kansas Reception and Diagnostic Center in Topeka as a cook. His second marriage to Nancy Joann Shoulders also ended in divorce.
Don worked for the City of Topeka and the Shawnee County Health Department as a housing inspector. He retired in 2010 after 33 years that ended with the Topeka Police Department, still inspecting houses.
Don's best memories were when he got to spend summers and holidays with his Aunt Edith and Uncle Emory Deaton in rural Ottawa, Kansas and his Aunt Mildred and Uncle Henry Brown in rural Princeton, Kansas. The farms didn't have all the modern conveniences but who cared. Cousin Ruby and Don dressed up in old clothes and fished in the creek until they were scared out by a snake or two - the poles stayed and waited until their courage built up. There were the play houses, digging worms for fishing and getting a bath of cold well water after rolling in the mud in the driveway ruts. City kid Don also found out you do not milk a cow from the left side - ouch what a kick ole Bessie had!
Don also enjoyed 13-point pitch card games, crossword puzzles, watching TV all hours of the day and night and dancing. He loved his family and provided for them all – including caring for his mother after his retirement.
Don was preceded in death by a sister prior to his birth - Shirley Jean Carey - which resulted from injuries received in an automobile accident in 1947; grandparents John William and Leona Grace (Kidwell) Carey and David Leander and Ada Mary (Kennedy) Mathias; his parents John Emmett and Nellie Marie; Aunt Edith and Uncle Emory Deaton, Uncle Henry and Aunt Mildred Brown and Aunt Ruth Mathias-Rathjen and Uncle Alford "Doc" Mathias; and step-granddaughter Tamra Dennis. Survivors include his daughter Victoria G. Carey (fiancé Kirk Taylor) of Topeka; grandchildren Kalub, Kolton and Kameron; great-grandson Bryson Everett-Knox Craig; stepchildren Martha Griffith of Topeka, Kelvin Lynn of Topeka, Nancy Roy of Topeka, Lois Taylor of Ozark, MO and Earnest Jackson of Plano, TX; step-grandchildren Jonathan Morse, Makenzie, Samantha, Jessica Lake, Michelle, William, Gio, Nico and Melo Jackson; and many beloved cousins.
Don was a former member of Kansas Association of Code Enforcement, the Wheatheart Square Dance Club and a current member of the American Legion Post 400 of Topeka.
A funeral ceremony will be at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 23rd, 2024 at the Mount Hope Chapel, 4700 SW 17th Street in Topeka. Interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery. The family will receive friends from noon to 1:00 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 3846 W 75th Street, Prairie Village, KS 66208.
Dove Cremations and Funerals Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.
To share a memory of Don or leave a special message for his family, please click the Share Memories button above.
The service will be livestreamed at the time designated above. To view the live stream click here.
He was born February 17, 1949, in Smithville, Missouri, the son of John Emmett "Elmer" and Nellie Marie (Mathias) Carey. The family moved to Topeka, Kansas in 1950.
Don's formal education was Randolph Elementary, Boswell Junior High and he graduated with the Class of 1967 at Silver Lake High School. During his high school years, he began employment with the Green Lantern Cafe in North Topeka in the kitchen washing dishes and waiting tables following the 1966 tornado. When an opportunity at Ira Price's Cafe opened up he began as a cook. "Remember the fried chicken?" Then Uncle Sam called and Don enlisted in the US Army and went active duty in June of 1968 with basic training in A.I.T. (Advanced Individual Training) at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. This was followed with his first permanent duty station at Fort Carson, Colorado. Then in June 1969 he was transferred to Mannheim, Germany's Taylor Barracks for the next 22 months. He was honorably discharged at Fort Dix, New Jersey in June of 1971.
Following his military discharge, he returned to Ira Price's cafe when an opportunity at Tommy's Fine Foods happened approximately three years later. While living in Junction City, Kansas he cooked at Hanson's nursing home and returned to Topeka and while employed with Tommy's Fine Foods again he met his first wife, Deborah Kay Berryman. To that marriage a daughter Victoria Grace Carey was born in 1977. Don also worked for Myron Green's Cafeteria in White Lakes Mall and Kansas Reception and Diagnostic Center in Topeka as a cook. His second marriage to Nancy Joann Shoulders also ended in divorce.
Don worked for the City of Topeka and the Shawnee County Health Department as a housing inspector. He retired in 2010 after 33 years that ended with the Topeka Police Department, still inspecting houses.
Don's best memories were when he got to spend summers and holidays with his Aunt Edith and Uncle Emory Deaton in rural Ottawa, Kansas and his Aunt Mildred and Uncle Henry Brown in rural Princeton, Kansas. The farms didn't have all the modern conveniences but who cared. Cousin Ruby and Don dressed up in old clothes and fished in the creek until they were scared out by a snake or two - the poles stayed and waited until their courage built up. There were the play houses, digging worms for fishing and getting a bath of cold well water after rolling in the mud in the driveway ruts. City kid Don also found out you do not milk a cow from the left side - ouch what a kick ole Bessie had!
Don also enjoyed 13-point pitch card games, crossword puzzles, watching TV all hours of the day and night and dancing. He loved his family and provided for them all – including caring for his mother after his retirement.
Don was preceded in death by a sister prior to his birth - Shirley Jean Carey - which resulted from injuries received in an automobile accident in 1947; grandparents John William and Leona Grace (Kidwell) Carey and David Leander and Ada Mary (Kennedy) Mathias; his parents John Emmett and Nellie Marie; Aunt Edith and Uncle Emory Deaton, Uncle Henry and Aunt Mildred Brown and Aunt Ruth Mathias-Rathjen and Uncle Alford "Doc" Mathias; and step-granddaughter Tamra Dennis. Survivors include his daughter Victoria G. Carey (fiancé Kirk Taylor) of Topeka; grandchildren Kalub, Kolton and Kameron; great-grandson Bryson Everett-Knox Craig; stepchildren Martha Griffith of Topeka, Kelvin Lynn of Topeka, Nancy Roy of Topeka, Lois Taylor of Ozark, MO and Earnest Jackson of Plano, TX; step-grandchildren Jonathan Morse, Makenzie, Samantha, Jessica Lake, Michelle, William, Gio, Nico and Melo Jackson; and many beloved cousins.
Don was a former member of Kansas Association of Code Enforcement, the Wheatheart Square Dance Club and a current member of the American Legion Post 400 of Topeka.
A funeral ceremony will be at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 23rd, 2024 at the Mount Hope Chapel, 4700 SW 17th Street in Topeka. Interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery. The family will receive friends from noon to 1:00 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 3846 W 75th Street, Prairie Village, KS 66208.
Dove Cremations and Funerals Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.
To share a memory of Don or leave a special message for his family, please click the Share Memories button above.
The service will be livestreamed at the time designated above. To view the live stream click here.