Donald R. Strickland

Donald R. Strickland 91, of Plainville, husband of Dorothy (Jacobsen) Strickland, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at home on Saturday, December 3, 2022.

Donald was born on May 6, 1931 in Hartford, CT to the late Lawrence Strickland and Edna (Hudon) Strickland. Raised in the Elmwood section of West Hartford, he was a graduate of William H. Hall High School. Donald proudly served his country in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict, stationed in Alaska as a mechanic in the motor vehicle squadron, and was honorably discharged in 1952. He married the love of his life, Dorothy (Jacobsen) in 1954 and settled in Plainville where they would share the next 68 years, raising a loving family of five and becoming proud grandparents.  Donald leaves a legacy of hard work and dedication as a heating and cooling technician at TLC Oil Company for 42 years before retiring in 1994.  He was a faithful communicant of St. Patrick’s Church in Farmington, and a devoted husband and father who cherished time spent with family.  Remembered as a man who could fix anything, he kept busy in his retirement years with small projects and sharing his kind and gentle nature and talents helping others whenever the opportunity arose.  A dedicated volunteer at the Plainville Senior Center, and Past President of the Plainville AARP, he enjoyed traveling, camping, fishing, watching any sport on TV, riding his motorcycle, listening to country music, and being surrounded by his friends and family.

In addition to his wife, he is survived and will be dearly missed by his sons Peter Strickland and his wife Robin (Foster) Strickland of Deland, Florida, Paul Strickland of Berlin, Connecticut, and daughters Donna (Strickland) Pirolli and her husband Louis Pirolli of Londonderry, New Hampshire and Diane (Strickland) Gediman and her husband Benjamin Gediman of Plainville; his grandchildren Jessica, Jason, Jonathan, Anthony, Audrey and Phoebe; his brother Robert Strickland and his wife Millie (Zito) Strickland and many nieces and nephews.  In addition to his parents, Donald was predeceased by his daughter, Pamela (Strickland) Mills, Brother Jim Strickland and sister, Linda (Strickland) Rulevich.

Donald’s family extends their gratitude to their hospice and home care team for their compassion and support during his final days. 

In lieu of flowers, Donald may be remembered with contributions to the Plainville Community Food Pantry, PO Box 233, Plainville, CT 06062.

Family and friends may gather on Friday, from 5-7 p.m. at Plainville Funeral Home, 81 Broad St Plainville.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., meeting directly at St. Patrick Church, 110 Main St, Farmington.  Committal services with Military Honors will follow at Rose Hill Cemetery, Rocky Hill.  Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.PlainvilleFuneralHome.com

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