Donald R. Salmonson

Moline, Illinois
Donald R. Salmonson, 83, of Moline, Illinois, died Friday, April 19, 2013, in his daughter?s home in Moline.
Services are 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Celebration of Life Chapel at Trimble Funeral and Cremation Center, Moline, with The Reverend Gary A. Wright officiating. Burial is in Rock Island National Cemetery, where the Moline American Legion Post #246 will present military honors. Visitation is 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday at Trimble Funeral and Cremation Center, Moline. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Zion Lutheran Church, East Moline, or the Moline High School Booster Club for Girls Varsity Basketball.
Donald Ralph Salmonson was born July 17, 1929, in East Moline, the son of Fred Sr. and Elizabeth (Gerhardt) Salmonson. He married Beverly Janette Harmon on June 4, 1955, in East Moline.
He graduated in 1948 from United Township High School, where he was a star athlete as quarterback for the football team, forward for the basketball team, and a pitcher for the baseball team. He played professional football for the Quad City Mohawks, and professional baseball as a pitcher for the 3I League and the Southern Yankee farm team, prior to being drafted in the United States Army in 1951. He was in battle at Porkchop Hill and was awarded a Purple Heart. He played football and baseball in Japan on the island of Hokkaido while in the reserves, and ended his tour of duty in 1953.
He was an avid early bird golfer with three holes-in-one to his credit at Golfmohr Golf Course in Hampton, Illinois. He was a lifelong member of Zion Lutheran Church. He enjoyed family vacations up North, flying airplanes, and watching auto racing.
Don is survived by his wife, Beverly, a daughter, Dona Salmonson, and her children, Timothy and Lily Eastman, all of Moline; brothers and sisters-in-law, Reuben and Molly Salmonson of East Moline, Marvin and Betty Salmonson of Carbon Cliff, and Lee and Peggy Salmonson of East Moline; a sister-in-law, Jacqueline Salmonson of Moline; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents, a son, Jeffery Wayne Salmonson in 1967, brothers, Paul, Fred, Harold, and William Salmonson, and a sister, Alice Steiner.
The family would like to thank Shannon and Barb of Unity Point Hospice for their special care of Don.
Friends and family are invited to share stories and condolences and light a candle in Don?s memory at www.TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.