DONALD F. COLBURN

HADLEY, Donald F. Colburn, 65, passed away at his home on May 15, 2013, surrounded by his family, following a long battle with pancreatic cancer.  He was the youngest of five children born to Kenneth and Hazel Colburn of Chepachet, RI, on May 6, 1948.  He left behind his loving wife, Sharon of Hadley, MA, and daughters Jessica and Katelyn of Windsor, CT.  He is survived by siblings Kenneth Colburn (Nancy) and Ruth Parr (Don) of Chepachet, RI, Richard Colburn of Danielson, CT, and Nancy Hodges (Austin) of Beaumont, TX, as well as many nieces, nephews and extended family.

Don (Bean) lived 28 years in Chepachet where he attended local schools and played on local hockey, baseball and basketball teams.  He graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1972, and received his Masters in Public Administration from AmericanUniversity in 1978.  He also was awarded his Law Degree in 1986 from WesternNew EnglandUniversity, School of Law.  He was employed for 36 years with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Rural Development Agency.

He served in the United States Army and was awarded the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman Badge and other medals for service in Vietnam.  He was a member of the Massachusetts and Hampshire County Bar Associations, Hampshire/Franklin Umpires’ Association, and he was a member of Pacific Masonic Lodge.

He was an avid fan of the University of Massachusetts hockey and basketball teams, and played on several local hockey and softball teams.  He enjoyed playing golf, and treasured his annual Myrtle Beach golf trip.

Services will be held on Thursday, May 23, at 1:00 pm at Massachusetts Veterans’ MemorialCemetery in Agawam, MA. 

Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (https://netcommunity.pancan.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=218); or PKD Foundation (https://www.pkdcure.org/donate). Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.