On Saturday, February 23, 2019, Donald Raymond Uhlir, loving husband and father, passed away at the age of 79 at the Ted and Diane Brandley House in Summerfield, FL. Don was born on October 16, 1939 in Grafton, MN to Edward and Gertrude Uhlir. He graduated high school from Thompson Public School, in Thompson, ND, and then was drafted into the Army. He served as a mechanic while stationed in Germany attached to the 546th Maintenance Company. He was honorably discharged in 1965 after two years of service. Upon returning to North Dakota, Don worked as a mechanic for the International Harvester Company in Crookston, MN until being employed as general manager of the Red River Valley Potato Research Farm in 1968. In 1966, Don married Lucille Irene Deschene, and they raised one daughter (Rebecca) and one son (Andrew). In 1988, Don and Lucy moved to Belleview, FL. In 2007, he retired from the Marion County Fire Department after 20 years of service as an emergency vehicle technician.
Don had a passion for farming. He found the most joy in life while tending to his garden and yard. He also was an avid tinkerer and was well known amongst family and friends for his ability to deconstruct and reconstruct farm machinery.
Don was preceded in death by his father, Edward, his mother, Gertrude, and a twin brother, Daniel. He is survived by his wife, Lucille (Belleview), two children, Rebecca (Memphis, TN) and Andrew (West Palm, FL), three brothers, James (East Grand Forks, ND), Robert (Pink Hill, NC), and Michael (Grand Forks, ND), and two sisters, Judy (Portland, OR) and Patricia (Austin, TX), and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A funeral service will be held on March 5th, 2019 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church (10670 SE Maricamp Rd.in Candler, FL at 9:30 AM followed by burial held at the Bushnell National Cemetery at 1:00pm. Funeral flower donations may be delivered to the church or to the Baldwin Brothers Funeral Home, 11250 Southwest 93rd Court Road Suite #300, Ocala, FL 34481. Monetary donations may be made in honor of Donald to the Parkinson’s Foundation at www. Parkinson.org.
