State Rep. Don Hahnfeldt, a Villages resident, has lost his battle with cancer. He was 73.
He reportedly passed away on Christmas Eve.
Up until the end, he kept up a busy schedules of public appearances.
Hahnfeldt, a former Sumter County commissioner, spoke Dec. 13 before The VHA, a group with which he was involved for many years. During that meeting at Lake Miona Recreation Center, he offered a legislative overview.
Earlier this year, he was honored in a presentation before the Lady Lake Commission.
Gov. Rick Scott has offered his condolences.
“My wife Ann and I are saddened by the news of Representative Don Hahnfeldt’s passing,” Scott said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”
The former submariner took on many roles in The Villages, including his involvement with The Villages Regional Hospital as a member of the board of the Central Florida Health Alliance.
Hahnfeldt remained outspoken when it came to politics.
He was elected as a freshman member of the Florida House this past year. He sailed to victory, running unopposed.
in the run-up to the 2016 presidential contest, he came out as a staunch supporter of GOP candidate for the White House, Donald Trump.
This past fall, he had been inducted as a Pitt Varsity Letterman of Distinction at the Athletic Hall of Fame at the University of Pittsburgh.
Hahnfeldt is survived by his wife, Cheryle, his three children, Christiana, Katherine, and Jennifer, and seven grandchildren, John, Analiese, Madalyn, Thomas, Andrew, Henry, and Cullen.
