WARREN - Donald Terence Heltzel, 91, passed away Thursday, Jan. 11, 2013, at St. Joseph Health Center.
He was born July 28, 1921, in Warren, the son of J. William and Mary K. Shanefelter Heltzel.
He attended Cathedral Latin High School in Cleveland and graduated from St. Thomas Academy in St. Paul, Minn., in 1939. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., in 1943, where he was editor of the scholastic weekly magazine.
Article Photos
Heltzel
He volunteered for the Navy shortly after Dec. 7, 1941, and served five years, including two years in the South Pacific and the Philippines as commanding officer of a rocket gun boat and participating in 13 initial landings.
On June 19, 1948, he married Elizabeth Ginocchio.
While working at the Flex-Plane Company, he was designated to the 26th annual Pan-American Highway Conference in Caracas, Venezuela.
He formed General Road Machines Inc. and served as president and treasurer. Then he formed Metro Equipment Corp. with offices in Cleveland, Columbus and Warren. He was president of Rex Nord Distributors Council and president of the Bucyrus Erie Council.
He was active in the Mahoning and Shenango Valley Notre Dame Alumni Association Club and was honored as the 2009 Man of the Year. He headed the Notre Dame Summa Campaign in northeastern Ohio.
He delivered Mobile Meals with his wife and enjoyed reading, traveling and Notre Dame football.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth "Beth" Ginocchio Heltzel; children Terry (Cathy) Heltzel of Warren, Susan Albu of Cary, N.C., Kathryn (Nathaniel) Taylor of Winston-Salem, N.C., Bill (Aimee) Heltzel of Pittsburgh and Christopher (Noreen) Heltzel of Kent; grandchildren Christopher Paul, David (Ilian), Alex (Leigh) and Anne Heltzel, Natalie (Jay), Nicholas (Amy), Sarah Albu, Winnie (John) Simmons and Nat (Carmen) Taylor, and Mario, Travis and Will Heltzel; 14 great-grandchildren; a sister, Madeleine Benson of West Palm Beach, Fla.; and sister-in-law Wanda Paganelli.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters Eleanor Heltzel and Louise Keating; daughter-in-law Betsy Kline Heltzel; son-in-law Sandy Albu; and nephew and godson Christopher Benson.
Family and friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Peter Rossi and Son Memorial Chapel in Warren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 12:30 p.m. Monday at Blessed Sacrament Church, co-celebrated by the Rev. Thomas Eisweirth and the Rev. Donald King.
Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery in Warren.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Notre Dame Scholarship Fund, 1100 Grace Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, or the Blessed Sacrament Parish Building Fund, 3020 Reeves Road N.E., Warren, Ohio 44483.
(special notice)