Donald E. Perrigo Jr.

Donald E. Perrigo Jr. of Shawnee, Kansas passed away November 20, 2024. Donald was born to Don Sr and Elaine Perrigo on January 12,1955 in Sedan, KS. Don was the oldest of 3 boys. He was preceded in death by his brother, Doug Perrigo, and is survived by his younger brother, Ron Perrigo, who resides in Shawnee, KS. Don and Ron had weekly nights out to eat together right up until the very end of Don’s life. Don lived the majority of his life in Shawnee, KS. He owned his home for 46 years, just a few blocks from his childhood home. Don cherished living near his parents, whom he deeply adored and greatly respected.  He graduated from Shawnee Mission Northwest in 1973. Don graduated with his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN during the short time he and Lois lived there from 1984 until 1989.

Don married Connie Rae Byrd on June 11, 1976 and they were married until her passing from leukemia. Don and Lois were married on August 3rd, 1984. Together they had 2 children; Katy (and Noah) Wells and Eric (and Kaitlyn) Perrigo. Their 3 grandchildren Blakely Wells (11) and Emery (6) and Reid (3) Perrigo were the light of Don’s life. Don and Lois loved traveling together, making annual summer trips to Michigan to visit her family. They also cherished a memorable road trip with the kids, exploring multiple national parks across Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota. They celebrated their 25th anniversary in Vermont and also traveled to Wisconsin, Branson, Mo and Myrtle Beach during Don’s retirement.

Don held a variety of jobs before dedicating 25 years to teaching science at JC Harmon High School in Kansas City, KS. During the summers, he stayed busy mowing lawns for extra income, tending to his rose bushes, and growing tomatoes in his garden. An avid fisherman, Don loved spending time at Shawnee Mission Lake or any lake or pond where friends and family welcomed him to cast a line. 

Don loved the Lord with all his heart and was an active member of the Shawnee Church of the Nazarene nearly his entire life. He sang in the church choir and coached the church’s softball teams for decades.

Don had a unique sense of humor and loved making people laugh, especially his grandchildren. He loved driving them around on his scooter or riding lawn mower in the yard. “DonDon” loved when Blakely would put Band-Aids on his booboos and checked all his vitals with her doctor supplies. “Poppy” loved dressing up and dancing to ballerina music with Emery and he would just chuckle watching Reid play “crash” with all of Poppy’s model cars, buying a new one for him with each trip to Sam’s Club. Don’s love for laughter, play, and jokes will forever in live in his three beloved grandchildren.

A visitation will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 am, Saturday, November 23, 2024 at Shawnee Church of the Nazarene, 5539 Quivira Rd, Shawnee, KS 66216, followed by a memorial service at 11:00 am. 

Memorial contributions may be made in Donald's name to Shawnee Church of the Nazarene to the Bold Vision Bold Faith Campaign.