It has come to our attention that we are rapidly losing members of our community, friends and supporters of ACB. In order to honor these people whose lives have impacted us, in large and small ways, we are publishing this column, "Passings." In it, we will include brief obituaries of those who have passed away. See below for the format in which to submit information.
Obituary Format
Please include as much of the following information as possible when submitting material for this column. Submissions must involve dates no more than six months from intended date of publication.
- Name (first, last, maiden if appropriate)
- City of residence (upon passing)
- State/province of residence (upon passing)
- Other cities/states/countries of residence (places where other blind people may have known this person)
- Occupation
- Date of death (day if known, month, year)
- Age
- ACB affiliation (local/state/special-interest affiliates or national committees)
GILBERTSON, DONALD GENE
Donald Gene Gilbertson, 73, of Seattle, Wash., passed away on Nov. 29, 2007. He was a medical technician for 27 years, as well as a cafeteria owner and operator. He was the owner of the C.J.T.C. cafeteria. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Martha, his sons, Orvel James (Leslie), Duane and Ted, his daughters, Patty (Zadih) Bacon and Suzy (Michael) Capdeville, 10 grandchildren and extended family and friends.
HIESLER, GENE
After a long, hard-fought battle with several medical issues, Gene Hiesler passed away on Aug. 13 in the Hospice Hospital in Texas. He was 79 years old. Gene was the only person to serve three terms as president of the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America (RSVA) from 1988 to 1994, and remained on the RSVA board until July 2008. He received RSVA's Lifetime Achievement Award (a life membership in ACB) at the 2004 convention in Birmingham, Ala. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Opal, several children and grandchildren, and extended family and friends.