Born on March 18, 1931 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Helge Gustav and Helen Myers Florin, Don grew up outside Pittsburgh in Mt. Lebanon, spent summers with his family on Chautauqua Lake in New York, and graduated from Mt. Lebanon high school in 1948. He went on to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh.
Don joined the Navy in 1953 and served his country for the next 27 years.
His first tour of duty was in Brunswick, ME. He then went on to Quonset Point, RI, Monterrey, CA, and Whidbey Island, WA before serving aboard the USS Kearsarge as a nuclear weapons officer from 1965 to 1967 during the Vietnam War.
His next tour of duty took him, his wife Marilyn, and their 3 young daughters to the Naval Air Station in Milton, FL where he was a flight instructor.
In 1970, he was sent overseas to Malta with NATO Navsouth. In 1972, the Maltese government barred all U.S. military from using Malta as a liberty port and Cdr. Florin was moved to Naples, Italy until 1974. He then returned with his family to the U.S. where he had a brief tour of duty in Charleston, SC before moving to Beeville, Texas in 1975 as the Executive Officer of the Naval Air Station until his retirement in 1980. During his years of service, he received the following honors: Joint Service Commendation Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon, National Defense service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Gallantry Cross with Palm.
After an honorable discharge in 1980, he spent several years in Beeville and then Houston working in real estate before moving to Indialantic Florida to be near his sister, Jean Albers, until she passed away in 2005. He then moved back to Houston to be near his children and grandchildren.
In addition to being a military man, he was a father, friend, and practical joker to many who came across his path. He knew no strangers and had a heart that saw the good in everyone. He lived life to the fullest and believed that having a sense of humor was indispensible in life – even when life got tough. He was an avid golfer and still played once a week until he was injured in a fall in 2008.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Helge and Helen Florin, and his sister, Jean Albers Florin. He is survived by his daughters, Lorrie Florin of Houston, Lisa Florin of Dallas, and Donna Rainey and her husband, Roger, of Dallas; 5 grandchildren – Jennifer Chambers and Chris Hale of Houston, and Quinn, Reid, and Rosalie Rainey of Dallas;; 2 great grandchildren – Tristan and Jace Chambers of Houston.; and 2 nephews, Trey and Lance Albers and their 4 children.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, July 17th, at 10:30am at Houston National Cemetary, 10410 Veterans Memorial Dr. Houston, TX 77038. Per his request, memorial donations may be made to the National Brain Tumor Society online at http://www.braintumor.org/Donate/ or by mail to 124 Watertown Street, Ste 2D, Watertown MA. 02472.
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