Donald Lee Gibavic, born August 18, 1950 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, died April 8 after suffering a severe and rare thalamic stroke two months prior. He spent nearly all of his life in Leverett, Massachusetts, where he married, built a house, and raised two daughters.

Donald graduated from Amherst Regional High School in 1968, enrolling afterwards in the civil engineering program at UMass Amherst. He graduated in 1972, promptly taking a job at Habitat Post & Beam in South Deerfield where he would work until his retirement in 2016. Donald designed post and beam homes and structures that were constructed all over the country, including his own homes in Leverett and East Burke, Vermont.

Donald was a loyal sports fan and athlete. He played adult softball for many years, skied all over New England and out west, and golfed every Sunday for many years. He held season tickets to UMass basketball, watched the Patriots every Sunday, and avidly followed the Red Sox. Once his daughters were born, his focus turned to coaching. He could be found on the bench or sideline for nearly every team they joined, and eagerly constructed a softball diamond and backstop in his yard. He traveled with his daughter Abigail’s softball team when they participated in the National Championships in Raleigh, North Carolina, and ventured to Florida when his daughter Aubrey’s Emerson College softball team played spring training games in Orlando and Ft. Myers. Donald continued for many more years to give his time assisting softball teams in Amherst.

Donald loved to travel, spending time every summer in Provincetown, Cape Cod, and weekends at the Gibavic family home in East Burke, Vermont. He was an avid reader, known to finish a book a day while on vacation. He was a lifelong animal lover, most recently giving his love and attention to Biscuit, his Australian cattle dog who was always by his side.

Donald is survived by his wife of 38 years, Nancy, of Leverett; daughter Aubrey (Everett) and husband Will, of Quincy; daughter Abigail, of Brooklyn, NY; brother Paul and wife Denise, of Montague; sister Anne and husband Billy (Witherspoon), of Sutton, VT; sister Eva and wife Cheryl (Howland), of Leverett; and four nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents George and Annette, of Leverett. He was expecting his first grandchild, a son, due next week.

Calling hours will be held at Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst on Monday April 15th, from 3-6 p.m. A memorial service will take place on Saturday, May 18 at 11 a.m. at the Leverett Congregational Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Stroke Association or the Amherst Regional High School girls’ softball program.