Donald E Archer

Donald Edward Archer, age 87, formerly of Shaker Heights, OH and Venice, FL died November 15, 2018 in NJ. Services will be held at 11 a.m., Mon., Dec. 10, 2018 at Church of the Saviour, 2537 Lee Rd. Cleveland Hts., OH 44118. Memorial donations may be made to ACLU.

Donald Edward Archer was born March 25, 1931 in Peoria, Illinois, to Leslie and Faye Archer. His sisters Phyllis and Marianne followed eleven and fourteen years later. Donny was a “PK” (Preacher’s Kid), a track star, and a bit of a troublemaker. After graduating from Onarga High School in Illinois, he attended DePauw University, arriving with just “two pairs of dungarees, a few white T-shirts, and a coat,” as the story goes. He was a chemistry major and a tenor in the choir. A fellow chorister was Janet Carlisle, whom he married in 1955. After serving two years in the Army, Don got his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Don and Jan moved to Willoughby, Ohio, where he worked for Ohio Rubber, and they had three children: Tom, Carol, and Ellen. The family settled in Shaker Heights, Ohio, in 1966, when Don got a job as an executive at INARCO; following many years in that end of the business, including a stint as president, he went on to a lively career as a manufacturer’s sales representative, where he charmed all his customers and was able to tell the jokes his wife didn’t appreciate. A member of Church of the Saviour, he was a favorite of the Towers Class and the choir.

A true handyman, Don enjoyed making and fixing things, and he was also an avid golfer. These hobbies, as well as his continued prominence as an enthusiastic singer, served him well in retirement in Venice, Florida, where he was on the board of the Bay Indies Home Owners Association and sang in the Evangelical Covenant Church of Bay Indies choir. His jovial personality and willingness to lend a hand made him a very popular resident in the community.

Donald’s son, Thomas, died in 1993, and his wife, Janet, in 2013. His sister Marianne Hoffmiller and his daughters Carol and Ellen Archer survive him, as do his three grandchildren, Stephen Archer, Alexandria Korr, Samuel Archer-Esner, and two great-grandchildren Savannah Korr and Laila Rose Archer. Nieces, nephews, in-laws, and friends also cherish the memory of a fun-loving, intelligent, and truly original character.