Eulogy for Donald F. Haubenstein
I have been blessed to have had many male influences in my life, men who have taken an interest in me, and have showed me the way of the world. Significant among the many, would be my father Jack, and especially his brother Don, who we honor here today.
Comparatively speaking, Don and my father were as different as night and day. My father is conservative by nature, organized and practical; Don was very laid back and much more free spirited. To some outsiders, it might have appeared odd that they were even related at all. Perhaps I can best explain, or at least try to compare the influences of my father and Don in this way: My father taught me good table manners, how to order a meal and how to order fine wine; Don taught me how to grease the palm of the maître'd in order to get the best table in the house. My father taught me the value of a dollar, to how save those dollars and how to manage credit; Don taught me that Reno had better house odds than Lake Tahoe, and to always stand on a 17 when playing blackjack. Both my father and Don were extremely accomplished sales executives. My father taught me the art of the deal, the ability to negotiate, and how to get the purchase order; Don taught me how to fudge the expense account, the best ways to entertain a client, and how to squeeze more budget dollars out of management for the next fiscal year.
Don was the first celebrity in my life. As a small kid, I lived in Philadelphia; he lived in a far away place (Sausalito, CA), and had a glamorous sales executive job with United Air Lines during the heyday of jet travel. He was like a tornado when he came home to visit. Everything came to a stop and our house filled up with relatives who cleared their own social calendars just to visit with him. I always made sure to have the most sophisticated knock-knock joke available to share, and he always roared with laughter no matter how corny my presentation was.
At the age of nineteen, I decided I'd like to see his lifestyle up close and personal. I moved out to California and he graciously allowed me to enter his life, share his home, and helped me find jobs (yes, even one with an airline). He showed me every inch of San Francisco and much of the Bay Area in general, and most of those wonderful experiences started or ended with a stop here at Smitty's Bar, in Sausalito.
When I was ready to move out on my own, my first TV set, bath towels, kitchen supplies, dishes and bed linens etc., were all supplied by Don. Since my first apartment was a furnished one, I guess I was ready to go in about ten minutes. His generosity to me was overwhelming. Most of us remember the crazy, funny and "life-of-the-party" guy Don was. It's an indelible and accurate image of him. But he was always much more than that. He had a heart of gold and helped many others get their start in life besides myself. And through all the fun, he taught me that in order to "play hard" in life, you had to "work hard" as well. He proved that for as long as I knew him.
The last time Don and I were together in California was on my wedding day in 1993, almost fifteen years ago to the day of his passing. It is perhaps prophetic that he chose to move back East just as I was beginning a new chapter in my own life, and he was beginning another chapter of his own. I don't think I'll miss Don for the simple reason that he is so much a part of me, so much of who I am, much more than even the DNA we share. I'm so blessed to have had him in my life, and feel very lucky to have shared our last name.
Don's love of Broadway was legendary. And so I raise my glass to him…May his heaven be a glorious theatre, may the house lights always be low, and may he always be seventh-row center, clapping, and enjoying the best view in the house.
(Eulogy read by Don's nephew, Mark Haubenstein at his California "service", held at his beloved Smitty's Bar in Sausalito, CA. Visit the bar and look for Don's barstool - a brass nameplate remembers him).
Donald F. Haubenstein A resident of Lansdale, PA, (formally of Sausalito, CA), Don passed away peacefully at Manor Care in Lansdale, PA, on September 29, 2008. He was 79.
He is survived by brothers Leon Haubenstein of Glenside, PA, and Jack Haubenstein of Medford, NJ, and sister Joanne Zappacosta of Warrington, PA.
Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late Leon and Elizabeth Haubenstein.
Don served in the U.S. Air Force from 1950 to 1954, and was a retired sales executive with United Airlines. He was a voracious reader and avid movie buff.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Mass at 10:00am on Friday, October 10th, at the Saint Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 856 Euclid Avenue, in Warrington, PA.
A private interment has been held at the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, PA.
I have been blessed to have had many male influences in my life, men who have taken an interest in me, and have showed me the way of the world. Significant among the many, would be my father Jack, and especially his brother Don, who we honor here today.
Comparatively speaking, Don and my father were as different as night and day. My father is conservative by nature, organized and practical; Don was very laid back and much more free spirited. To some outsiders, it might have appeared odd that they were even related at all. Perhaps I can best explain, or at least try to compare the influences of my father and Don in this way: My father taught me good table manners, how to order a meal and how to order fine wine; Don taught me how to grease the palm of the maître'd in order to get the best table in the house. My father taught me the value of a dollar, to how save those dollars and how to manage credit; Don taught me that Reno had better house odds than Lake Tahoe, and to always stand on a 17 when playing blackjack. Both my father and Don were extremely accomplished sales executives. My father taught me the art of the deal, the ability to negotiate, and how to get the purchase order; Don taught me how to fudge the expense account, the best ways to entertain a client, and how to squeeze more budget dollars out of management for the next fiscal year.
Don was the first celebrity in my life. As a small kid, I lived in Philadelphia; he lived in a far away place (Sausalito, CA), and had a glamorous sales executive job with United Air Lines during the heyday of jet travel. He was like a tornado when he came home to visit. Everything came to a stop and our house filled up with relatives who cleared their own social calendars just to visit with him. I always made sure to have the most sophisticated knock-knock joke available to share, and he always roared with laughter no matter how corny my presentation was.
At the age of nineteen, I decided I'd like to see his lifestyle up close and personal. I moved out to California and he graciously allowed me to enter his life, share his home, and helped me find jobs (yes, even one with an airline). He showed me every inch of San Francisco and much of the Bay Area in general, and most of those wonderful experiences started or ended with a stop here at Smitty's Bar, in Sausalito.
When I was ready to move out on my own, my first TV set, bath towels, kitchen supplies, dishes and bed linens etc., were all supplied by Don. Since my first apartment was a furnished one, I guess I was ready to go in about ten minutes. His generosity to me was overwhelming. Most of us remember the crazy, funny and "life-of-the-party" guy Don was. It's an indelible and accurate image of him. But he was always much more than that. He had a heart of gold and helped many others get their start in life besides myself. And through all the fun, he taught me that in order to "play hard" in life, you had to "work hard" as well. He proved that for as long as I knew him.
The last time Don and I were together in California was on my wedding day in 1993, almost fifteen years ago to the day of his passing. It is perhaps prophetic that he chose to move back East just as I was beginning a new chapter in my own life, and he was beginning another chapter of his own. I don't think I'll miss Don for the simple reason that he is so much a part of me, so much of who I am, much more than even the DNA we share. I'm so blessed to have had him in my life, and feel very lucky to have shared our last name.
Don's love of Broadway was legendary. And so I raise my glass to him…May his heaven be a glorious theatre, may the house lights always be low, and may he always be seventh-row center, clapping, and enjoying the best view in the house.
(Eulogy read by Don's nephew, Mark Haubenstein at his California "service", held at his beloved Smitty's Bar in Sausalito, CA. Visit the bar and look for Don's barstool - a brass nameplate remembers him).
Donald F. Haubenstein A resident of Lansdale, PA, (formally of Sausalito, CA), Don passed away peacefully at Manor Care in Lansdale, PA, on September 29, 2008. He was 79.
He is survived by brothers Leon Haubenstein of Glenside, PA, and Jack Haubenstein of Medford, NJ, and sister Joanne Zappacosta of Warrington, PA.
Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late Leon and Elizabeth Haubenstein.
Don served in the U.S. Air Force from 1950 to 1954, and was a retired sales executive with United Airlines. He was a voracious reader and avid movie buff.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Mass at 10:00am on Friday, October 10th, at the Saint Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 856 Euclid Avenue, in Warrington, PA.
A private interment has been held at the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, PA.
Eulogy for Donald F. Haubenstein
I have been blessed to have had many male influences in my life, men who have taken an interest in me, and have showed me the way of the world. Significant among the many, would be my father Jack, and especially his brother Don, who we honor here today.
Comparatively speaking, Don and my father were as different as night and day. My father is conservative by nature, organized and practical; Don was very laid back and much more free spirited. To some outsiders, it might have appeared odd that they were even related at all. Perhaps I can best explain, or at least try to compare the influences of my father and Don in this way: My father taught me good table manners, how to order a meal and how to order fine wine; Don taught me how to grease the palm of the maître'd in order to get the best table in the house. My father taught me the value of a dollar, to how save those dollars and how to manage credit; Don taught me that Reno had better house odds than Lake Tahoe, and to always stand on a 17 when playing blackjack. Both my father and Don were extremely accomplished sales executives. My father taught me the art of the deal, the ability to negotiate, and how to get the purchase order; Don taught me how to fudge the expense account, the best ways to entertain a client, and how to squeeze more budget dollars out of management for the next fiscal year.
Don was the first celebrity in my life. As a small kid, I lived in Philadelphia; he lived in a far away place (Sausalito, CA), and had a glamorous sales executive job with United Air Lines during the heyday of jet travel. He was like a tornado when he came home to visit. Everything came to a stop and our house filled up with relatives who cleared their own social calendars just to visit with him. I always made sure to have the most sophisticated knock-knock joke available to share, and he always roared with laughter no matter how corny my presentation was.
At the age of nineteen, I decided I'd like to see his lifestyle up close and personal. I moved out to California and he graciously allowed me to enter his life, share his home, and helped me find jobs (yes, even one with an airline). He showed me every inch of San Francisco and much of the Bay Area in general, and most of those wonderful experiences started or ended with a stop here at Smitty's Bar, in Sausalito.
When I was ready to move out on my own, my first TV set, bath towels, kitchen supplies, dishes and bed linens etc., were all supplied by Don. Since my first apartment was a furnished one, I guess I was ready to go in about ten minutes. His generosity to me was overwhelming. Most of us remember the crazy, funny and "life-of-the-party" guy Don was. It's an indelible and accurate image of him. But he was always much more than that. He had a heart of gold and helped many others get their start in life besides myself. And through all the fun, he taught me that in order to "play hard" in life, you had to "work hard" as well. He proved that for as long as I knew him.
The last time Don and I were together in California was on my wedding day in 1993, almost fifteen years ago to the day of his passing. It is perhaps prophetic that he chose to move back East just as I was beginning a new chapter in my own life, and he was beginning another chapter of his own. I don't think I'll miss Don for the simple reason that he is so much a part of me, so much of who I am, much more than even the DNA we share. I'm so blessed to have had him in my life, and feel very lucky to have shared our last name.
Don's love of Broadway was legendary. And so I raise my glass to him…May his heaven be a glorious theatre, may the house lights always be low, and may he always be seventh-row center, clapping, and enjoying the best view in the house.
(Eulogy read by Don's nephew, Mark Haubenstein at his California "service", held at his beloved Smitty's Bar in Sausalito, CA. Visit the bar and look for Don's barstool - a brass nameplate remembers him).
Donald F. Haubenstein A resident of Lansdale, PA, (formally of Sausalito, CA), Don passed away peacefully at Manor Care in Lansdale, PA, on September 29, 2008. He was 79.
He is survived by brothers Leon Haubenstein of Glenside, PA, and Jack Haubenstein of Medford, NJ, and sister Joanne Zappacosta of Warrington, PA.
Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late Leon and Elizabeth Haubenstein.
Don served in the U.S. Air Force from 1950 to 1954, and was a retired sales executive with United Airlines. He was a voracious reader and avid movie buff.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Mass at 10:00am on Friday, October 10th, at the Saint Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 856 Euclid Avenue, in Warrington, PA.
A private interment has been held at the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, PA.
I have been blessed to have had many male influences in my life, men who have taken an interest in me, and have showed me the way of the world. Significant among the many, would be my father Jack, and especially his brother Don, who we honor here today.
Comparatively speaking, Don and my father were as different as night and day. My father is conservative by nature, organized and practical; Don was very laid back and much more free spirited. To some outsiders, it might have appeared odd that they were even related at all. Perhaps I can best explain, or at least try to compare the influences of my father and Don in this way: My father taught me good table manners, how to order a meal and how to order fine wine; Don taught me how to grease the palm of the maître'd in order to get the best table in the house. My father taught me the value of a dollar, to how save those dollars and how to manage credit; Don taught me that Reno had better house odds than Lake Tahoe, and to always stand on a 17 when playing blackjack. Both my father and Don were extremely accomplished sales executives. My father taught me the art of the deal, the ability to negotiate, and how to get the purchase order; Don taught me how to fudge the expense account, the best ways to entertain a client, and how to squeeze more budget dollars out of management for the next fiscal year.
Don was the first celebrity in my life. As a small kid, I lived in Philadelphia; he lived in a far away place (Sausalito, CA), and had a glamorous sales executive job with United Air Lines during the heyday of jet travel. He was like a tornado when he came home to visit. Everything came to a stop and our house filled up with relatives who cleared their own social calendars just to visit with him. I always made sure to have the most sophisticated knock-knock joke available to share, and he always roared with laughter no matter how corny my presentation was.
At the age of nineteen, I decided I'd like to see his lifestyle up close and personal. I moved out to California and he graciously allowed me to enter his life, share his home, and helped me find jobs (yes, even one with an airline). He showed me every inch of San Francisco and much of the Bay Area in general, and most of those wonderful experiences started or ended with a stop here at Smitty's Bar, in Sausalito.
When I was ready to move out on my own, my first TV set, bath towels, kitchen supplies, dishes and bed linens etc., were all supplied by Don. Since my first apartment was a furnished one, I guess I was ready to go in about ten minutes. His generosity to me was overwhelming. Most of us remember the crazy, funny and "life-of-the-party" guy Don was. It's an indelible and accurate image of him. But he was always much more than that. He had a heart of gold and helped many others get their start in life besides myself. And through all the fun, he taught me that in order to "play hard" in life, you had to "work hard" as well. He proved that for as long as I knew him.
The last time Don and I were together in California was on my wedding day in 1993, almost fifteen years ago to the day of his passing. It is perhaps prophetic that he chose to move back East just as I was beginning a new chapter in my own life, and he was beginning another chapter of his own. I don't think I'll miss Don for the simple reason that he is so much a part of me, so much of who I am, much more than even the DNA we share. I'm so blessed to have had him in my life, and feel very lucky to have shared our last name.
Don's love of Broadway was legendary. And so I raise my glass to him…May his heaven be a glorious theatre, may the house lights always be low, and may he always be seventh-row center, clapping, and enjoying the best view in the house.
(Eulogy read by Don's nephew, Mark Haubenstein at his California "service", held at his beloved Smitty's Bar in Sausalito, CA. Visit the bar and look for Don's barstool - a brass nameplate remembers him).
Donald F. Haubenstein A resident of Lansdale, PA, (formally of Sausalito, CA), Don passed away peacefully at Manor Care in Lansdale, PA, on September 29, 2008. He was 79.
He is survived by brothers Leon Haubenstein of Glenside, PA, and Jack Haubenstein of Medford, NJ, and sister Joanne Zappacosta of Warrington, PA.
Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late Leon and Elizabeth Haubenstein.
Don served in the U.S. Air Force from 1950 to 1954, and was a retired sales executive with United Airlines. He was a voracious reader and avid movie buff.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Mass at 10:00am on Friday, October 10th, at the Saint Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 856 Euclid Avenue, in Warrington, PA.
A private interment has been held at the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, PA.
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