Don Glenn Deskins, 69, passed away on December 5, 2025.

Don was born in Miami, Florida to R H and Romilda Deskins on July 13, 1956, the middle of three children. Our mother used to say when Don was a baby, she could sit him down somewhere and he would be right where she left him when she returned (not that she was ever gone for very long). That trait changed as he grew up. Don left this world around 5:00 pm on a Friday evening, the first time in his life he ever truly quit at "quitting time".

Don graduated from Miami Norland Senior High School in Miami, where he played the position of defensive lineman on the football team as well as being on the wrestling team. Don would frequently travel up the east coast with our brother to surf around the Sebastian Inlet. As a family we would often go water skiing in our dad's boat on the weekends. I was young and had great difficulty getting up on the water skis, so Don took the time to simulate being slowly pulled out of the water for me in our Florida room. And thanks to Don, that is how I learned to water ski. Don loved football more than anything else from a young age. Once our older brother was out doing his own thing, Don was determined to have someone around with whom he could discuss, watch, and play football. He taught me everything there is to know about football and would eventually have me going out for passes in the backyard, much to our mother's dismay.

Upon graduation he held several jobs in the Miami area until he and a friend, also named Don, decided to hike the Appalachian Trail. When they reached some point in northern North Carolina, hey decided to hitchhike west. Upon reaching the Pacific coast, they would stay in small towns, get jobs, and work long enough until they had money to continue moving up and down the Pacific coast from Seattle to San Diego. They also spent a length of time in the Lake Tahoe area. While in that area, Don swam out to Fannette Island located in Emerald Bay on the west shore of the lake, in very cold water. He stated the swim back to shore was a bit more daunting. Don would be gone almost a year on his adventure before returning home. Upon his return to Miami, Don worked for Hangar One Beechcraft at Opa-Locka Airport for several years before moving to the Tampa area in 1984.

Once in Tampa, he met his wife Susan of 35 years and became the facilities manager for Bill Currie Ford, a job he would stay in for over 30 years. Upon retiring from Ford, he went to work for Hillsborough County Schools. Don's athletic abilities were many. He competed in triathlons throughout central Florida for several years. His golf game was one which gave our dad a run for his money. Don loved to snow ski. An
annual trip was made to the Rocky Mountains for many years, a different selection of family members joining him each year. Night skiing with him was especially peaceful. Don was the one who inherited an acute artistic ability, which he used in many ways throughout his life. There was nothing Don could not repair mechanically. An old high school friend, who has since passed, taught Don almost everything he knew mechanically, including how to repair the transmission on his Ford Fairlane so he did not have to drive it in reverse until his transmission fluid warmed up enough to shift into drive. Don could also design a house, build it complete with all necessary systems, and install all of the landscaping using his own knowledge and expertise.

Don had nary an ill thought or act in his life. There are many words that can be used to define Don's character traits, none of which are negative. He was the most patient, gentle, caring, loving, giving, sweet, and tender soul anyone could have the pleasure of knowing. He was honest to a fault. And he had a very dry and extremely funny sense of humor. At heart, Don was a loner and a deep thinker. He had the ability to read people with spot-on accuracy. Don, my brother, was truly loved and admired by his family, and we are all very proud of the man he always was. And we too are grateful for the lessons he taught us throughout his life. He was a devoted husband, father of 2 children and a proud grandfather of one grandson. Don was deeply involved in every part of his family's lives, always offering his support, guidance and love in every situation.

Don is preceded in death by his parents and a son.

He is survived by his wife, one daughter, one grandson, one brother, and one sister.

Interment will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 1:30 pm, at Serenity Meadows Memorial Park, located at 6919 Providence Road, Riverview, FL 33578. A memorial service will be held following the interment at 3:00 pm, at Bell Shoals Church, 2102 Bell Shoals Road, Brandon, FL 33511.