I met Don in early 1999 when he joined the TeamInTraining cycling team to participate in the Santa Fe Century that spring. Back then I had no idea how important that friendship would become. Don and I participated in almost 40 TNT centuries over the next 18 years. When I mentioned one of my goals was to cycle a century in all 50 states, he made it one of his life goals. The point is Don accomplished that goal while I'm still working on it.
During his time with TNT Don fund raised over $250,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. That's not surprising given his fund raising experience. He was an executive director for the Vietnam Veteran Memorial and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Don was one of judges for the Vietnam Veteran Memorial who visited Maya Lin at Yale to advise her proposed design for the wall had been selected. He knew how to fund raise, and did it the old fashioned way with personalized letters and multiple contact lists. I remember when he volunteered to be the secretary for his college reunion as it gave him another contact list. He would rotate his many contacts and once told me folks he hadn't contacted in a while would reach out in order to donate.
We did 2 road trips to ride non-TNT centuries. The first one was riding the Zion Century in 2008. We shipped bikes to our Utah hotel, flew to Las Vegas, rented a car, and drove to the event. It was memorable for me since it was my first century on a single gear bike, but upon reflection it was the flight, windshield and cycling time with Don that was the real highlight. Same thing in 2010 when we drove to ride centuries in Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky. That's when I convinced Don we could claim century credit by riding into a state during a 100 mile ride versus cycling a full 100 miles in each state. On one of those rides a dog ripped Don's leg open. Since we were on a return course I rode ahead to obtain first aid material. It turned out OK, but Don made me promise not to let his wife know exactly what happened because he thought she would lobby to curtail his cycling.
Back then Don had a tendency to ride off course. It was hard for me to figure out since career military personnel normally have above average orienteering skills. Perhaps those were the very early signs of dementia. By 2015 several teammates became concerned about Don's ability to cycle a consistent line. On a training ride I made it a point to ride beside him and 12 miles into it he swerved into me, knocking me into the roadside grass, but he fell on the road taking down another teammate. I was faced with the task of discussing this with Don as we drove to a TNT event in Maryland a few weeks later. That was one of the hardest tasks I ever faced as a cycling coach. Our conversation went well, but the following year Don announced he was doing his final TNT ride in Tahoe. Don was the top national fundraiser for that event. I think every time he did Tahoe he was one of the top fundraisers among the several thousand other TNT cyclists.
Don and his wife Gail moved to Skidaway Island around then to be closer to family in that area. The last conversation I had with Don was to advise that a long time TNT cyclist (Lynn Teague) had passed away. He had a hard time recalling her even though they had been cycling teammates and friends many years. Since then I kept up with Don through Facebook posts by his son Will and youngest daughter Claire and occasional phone conversations with his wife Gail.
Don was a retired Marine Colonel with multiple Vietnam tours. I didn't know Don during his first marriage when he and his late wife raised three children. When I met Don and his wife Gail they had adopted Claire as an infant from Paraguay a few years previously. Claire became an aunt to Don's grandchildren, some older than her. I think there were some challenges during Claire's adolescent years, but Don and Gail faced them with her, and Claire is now happily married raising her own child (Don's newest grandson). Don had 4 children (Will, Jenny, Connie and Claire) 10 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.
I had been saddened about Don's health over the past few years, especially his memory loss of me as a friend. My consolation is that he is no longer suffering from the frustration dementia no doubt caused him. I am also grateful to have enjoyed a most treasured friendship over 23 years. Godspeed, Don Schaet.
