Donald R. Sievers

Donald R. Sievers

May 6, 1934 – March 11, 2024

VISITATION: Friday, March 22nd, from 10 – 11 a.m., followed by FUNERAL SERVICE at 11 a.m., at Presbyterian Church of the Cross, 1517 S. 114th St.

Memorials may be directed to Presbyterian Church of the Cross or American Cancer Society.

Don was born near Cairo, Nebraska, to Frieda (Fuerstenau) and John Sievers on May 6, 1934, we think. While the doctor who delivered Don at the family farm wrote May 5 on his birth certificate, Don’s mother firmly claimed otherwise. It was this determination and sharp mind that she gifted to her youngest child, Don.

During Don’s youth, his family moved to Grand Island. He watched his three older brothers go off to war – two during WW II and one during the Korean War – and all safely returned.

In 1952, Don graduated from Grand Island Senior High School, where he played football and basketball. From there he joined the Marine Corp during the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1957. One month later, he enrolled at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the College of Business Administration.

During his junior year, Don suffered an emergency medical situation that derailed his studies for a while, but a few years later, led him to meet a young surgical nurse, named Sharon. Even though she was engaged to be married, Don asked Sharon out on a “Coke date.” How the story continued depended on who you asked; Don or Sharon. But we know it included a request from Sharon’s minister for both beaus not to contact her for a period of time, which one ignored; the ending of an engagement and returning of shower gifts by Sharon’s not-so-happy mother; and Don and Sharon’s engagement, just two weeks after their first date.

On October 18, 1963, Don and Sharon were married in Grand Island, and made their home in Lincoln. Don began his professional career as a mortgage loan officer before joining the Nebraska State Department of Economic Development. During this time, Don and Sharon’s family grew to include Jennifer in 1965, Andrea in 1968, and Abby, their beloved dog.

In 1972, Don joined Omaha National Bank, and the family made Omaha their home. Four years later, their family expanded to include Jessica, their third daughter. Don’s career at the bank continued, and he rose to Senior Vice President with responsibilities for commercial real estate loans of more than $350 million. He was active in the Nebraska Mortgage Bankers Association, where he served as President, and with Omaha’s redevelopment through the Omaha City Planning Department and Chamber of Commerce. He also was proud of his involvement in recommending the state create what became the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority.

Throughout his life ,Don was an avid Husker fan ( he had his family’s football tickets since mid-1940s) and later became a Jayhawk basketball fan, thanks to his daughter and two grandchildren who graduated/will graduate from KU. He also loved to golf, play cards, particularly Pitch, and to spend time with his grandchildren and church family. Don and Sharon have been members of Presbyterian Church of the Cross since 1978.

But the biggest love of his life was his wife, who he said, “he gave 100% of his heart, which she still has today.” At their 60th wedding celebration last summer, Don shared: “God has been arranging encounters since the beginning of time, and it still remains a stretch for me to imagine he could reach into that hospital bed at Bryan Memorial Hospital and turn an ordinary surgery into the joy I have had all these many years ago. Sharon, you are the love of my life, my best friend, true confidant, and my complete happiness. Keep up the good work.”

Don is survived by his wife, Sharon; daughters, Jennifer (David) Arnold of Omaha, Andrea (Chris) Miller of Leawood, Kansas, and Jessica (Kris) Porto of Bend, Oregon; grandchildren: Sam and Elise Arnold, Ella and Tess Miller, and Kassidy and Aurelia Porto. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frieda and John Sievers; brothers, Lyle, Jack and Bob Sievers; and sisters, Arlene Sievers and Mary Schacht.