Councilmember Don Praisner at Burtonsville Day last year.
Washington Post article
County press release
Two days shy of the one-year anniversary of his wife's passing, Councilmember Don Praisner succumbed to colon cancer this afternoon at the age of 76. Praisner won a special election last spring for the District 4 seat, which had been held by his wife Marilyn Praisner for seventeen years.
They always say that when one spouse passes away, the other is quick to follow. It's hard to imagine how much strength it must have taken for Don, a grieving widower, to come out of retirement and attempt to complete his wife's Council term. Growing up, I lost four family members in less than three years. I still remember my grandfather sitting in his easy chair when we came to visit, watching television with no interest, quietly sobbing whenever somebody mentioned Nani, my grandmother, who had just passed away.
It's even harder to appreciate how difficult it must be for the Praisner children and grandchildren, who have seen both of their parents pass away in just shy of a year. Don and Marilyn were not only the head of a large and prominent East County family, they were for decades the heads of our community. And we join the Praisner family in commemorating two long, fruitful lives.
I cannot help but wonder: where do we go from here?Washington Post article
County press release
Two days shy of the one-year anniversary of his wife's passing, Councilmember Don Praisner succumbed to colon cancer this afternoon at the age of 76. Praisner won a special election last spring for the District 4 seat, which had been held by his wife Marilyn Praisner for seventeen years.
They always say that when one spouse passes away, the other is quick to follow. It's hard to imagine how much strength it must have taken for Don, a grieving widower, to come out of retirement and attempt to complete his wife's Council term. Growing up, I lost four family members in less than three years. I still remember my grandfather sitting in his easy chair when we came to visit, watching television with no interest, quietly sobbing whenever somebody mentioned Nani, my grandmother, who had just passed away.
It's even harder to appreciate how difficult it must be for the Praisner children and grandchildren, who have seen both of their parents pass away in just shy of a year. Don and Marilyn were not only the head of a large and prominent East County family, they were for decades the heads of our community. And we join the Praisner family in commemorating two long, fruitful lives.