Donald (Don) Viehl died Saturday, September 13th at Aurora-Zilber Family Hospice in Wauwatosa, WI after a short illness. He was 97 years old.
Don was born in January of 1928 to John and Olga Viehl. He was baptized into the Christian faith in March of the same year. In April of 1941 he was confirmed in his faith at St. Martini Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. Don attended West Allis Central High School.
In 1946, after graduating high school, he was drafted into the United States Army. He completed basic training at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. He was then deployed to Italy and stationed in Livorno to serve in the Army of Occupation as a technician 5th grade. Don would have great pride and a deep sense of fulfilled duty from his time in the service when his country called on him. In 2008, he had the profound experience of being a participant of an Honor Flight that brought him and his peers to Washington DC to tour the WWII War Memorial and be greeted by his elected representatives.
After his return from service in Italy, Don took a drafting apprenticeship at Allis Chalmers Manufacturing Company. Upon completion, he began his career as a mechanical draftsman for Wisconsin Electric. He worked there until his retirement in 1988.
In 1953 Don married Marjorie Petzing. They welcomed their first child, Warren, in 1954. Their son Brian was born in 1958. Don and his wife raised their young boys in West Allis, WI. His father John also lived with them after Olga’s death in 1950. John would live with and be cared for by Don till a few years before John’s death in 1984. In 1963 they purchased their home in Wauwatosa where Don would finish raising his boys and would go on to live the rest of his life. Now a member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Don was active in Boy Scouts with his sons. Highlights included campouts, a multi-night rafting trip down the Mississippi River and seeing Warren and Brian earn their Eagle Scout rank.
As a young boy, he rode trains with his father John beginning a life-long appreciation and enthusiasm for locomotives, trains, and railway travel. This hobby would help shape and inform his travel all over the world. He was an avid train watcher and photographer. There was little that could keep Don from getting the vantage point he desired. He would submit photos to magazines and would even have them published with his captions.
After retirement, Don committed himself to hobbies and volunteering. He volunteered his time at Our Redeemer, played accordion for nursing homes and assisted living facilities, attended railroad clubs, and played church league dartball. In his quiet time, he would read. He would rarely pass up an opportunity to learn more about a topic or person he cared about. He loved to share information and highlights about the people’s lives he was reading about.
Don had an adventurous spirit. He enjoyed downhill skiing till he was 81 years old. He was pulled in an innertube behind a boat while on vacation with his family at age 82. He enjoyed camping, backpacking, canoeing and kayaking. He rode a camel in Morocco in his fifties and the back of a Harley-Davidson during the Harley Fest 100 year anniversary in 2003.
Don Viehl was a follower and fan of Milwaukee baseball and the Green Bay Packers. In his lifetime, he saw the opening of Milwaukee County Stadium in 1953 and Miller Park in 2001. Don connected with his sons and extended family through their shared passion for the Braves, Brewers and Packers. Don saw many of Milwaukee baseball’s most memorable moments in person. In 1957, Don saw Eddie Matthews’ walk-off home run in the 10th inning of game 4 of the World Series against the Yankees. This was the famous Nippy Jones pinch-hit shoe polish on- the-ball inning. He also attended World Series games in 1958 and 1982. In 1961, he witnessed Warren Spahn pitch a no-hitter against the Giants. He would carry a card given to those in attendance in his wallet for the rest of his life. He would never pass up an appropriate opportunity to show it to someone and talk about the Milwaukee Braves. Don also never missed a Packers game on TV. He would see them play in person occasionally when the team still played a few home games each season at County Stadium.
In 2000, Don and Joanne were married. They found friendship and companionship with one another. They loved each other and leaned on one another through Don’s toughest days losing his son and close friend, Brian. He and Joanne stood strong together again in 2017 when Warren’s son Sean, Don’s oldest grandchild, died unexpectedly. Don and Joanne traveled, enjoyed each other’s company, and made the best of sickness, health, and the pandemic. Don and Joanne developed strong bonds with each other’s families that endures to this day.
He is survived by his wife Joanne Viehl, son Warren Viehl (Marilyn), daughter in-law Terry Viehl (Brian), stepdaughter Sandy Conway (Chris), stepsons Mark and David Schoessow, and 8 grandchildren; Colleen Schreiner (Scott), Corey Viehl (Molly), Maura Canter (Mark), Nathan Viehl (Liz), Luke Viehl (Angie), Emily Rux (Caleb), Colin Conway and Lindsey Conway. He was also the proud great-grandfather to 12+1 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild.
Don lived a long and blessed life. He very much enjoyed meeting his new grandchildren over all of his years. He was filled with a sense of wonder and awe that so many people in so many places could bear his name and likeness. He was happy, proud, and grateful.
Funeral services will be held at Schmidt-Bartelt Funeral Home on Saturday, September 20, 2025. 10121 W. North Ave, Wauwatosa, WI 53226.
Viewing begins at 9:00am. Funeral services at 10:00am with committal following at Good Hope Cemetery 4141 S 43rd St Greenfield, WI 53220
Please send any memorials to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. 10025 W. North Ave, Wauwatosa, WI 53226