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Carl was born December 17, 1923 in Lincoln, at the
home of his parents, John H. and Louise (Wietelmann)
Donath. He married Norma J. Herberger on April 22,
1950 at the home of her parents, Herbert H. and
Helen A. Herberger.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his
wife, two brothers, John W. Donath and Donald E.
Donath and two sisters, Josephine (Myron) Wolf and
Florence (Fred) Wolf. A daughter, Judy Donath, of
Springfield, survives as does his sister, Stella
(Leo) Pevsner of Chicago and several nieces and
nephews.
Carl, a life-long resident of Lincoln, graduated
from Lincoln Community High School in 1941. A member
of the Army Signal Corps in World War II, he put his
training as a telephone lineman to work in 1946 for
the Illinois Commercial Telephone Company, which
later became General Telephone Company (GTE).
In the winter of 1947-1948, he worked 17 days
straight after a sleet storm. In those days, the
work of digging holes, setting poles and stringing
wires was all done by hand. Carl had an easy-going,
yet conscientious way of handling the various
positions he held during his 37 years with GTE.
The job he enjoyed the most was record keeper, a
position that assigned phone numbers and made
assignments for new installations. His favorite
project was being the lead installer of the phone
system at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial hospital when
it opened in 1954. He retired in 1982.
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An avid golfer after he retired, Carl played most of
the courses of Central Illinois. He got a
hole-in-one at the Elks Country Club in Lincoln on
October 12, 1989, but his favorite course was in
LeRoy, as they had the best cheeseburgers. He also
enjoyed traveling with his wife and rooting for his
favorite baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals.
Carl was a life-long member of Zion Lutheran Church
and served as an usher there for over 40 years. He
also was a member of the American Legion Post #263.
Tall (6’7”) for his generation, Carl had nicknames
of High Pockets, Shorty, Slim, Too Tall and Two
Story. A devoted husband and father, he was also a
talented handyman who shared those skills to help
others.
Cremation rites have been accorded. Services for
Carl and his wife, Norma, who passed away on October
14, 2010, will be held at 10:30 A.M. Monday,
November 15, 2010 at Fricke-Calvert-Schrader Funeral
Home in Lincoln, Il. with Rev. John Johnson
officiating.
Visitation will be from 9 till 10:30 prior to the
service. Burial will be in Zion Cemetery, Lincoln
with full military rites accorded by American Legion
Post #263. In lieu of flowers, the family requests
memorials be made to Zion Lutheran Church, St.
Clara’s Manor flower garden fund or Senior Services
of Central Illinois in Springfield, Il. |
