Donald Dean Harlan

Donald Dean Harlan, 81, of Fremont, OH, died Tuesday, October 30, 2012 in the home he designed and built on Sixth Street. He was born in Adrian, Michigan on January 18, 1931, the son of E. Frank and Ruth (Donnell) Harlan. When Don was four his father died, and his mother moved her large family back to the original homestead in Fremont, Ohio. On December 27, 1955, in St. Joseph's Church, he married Sally Montague and she survives. Mr. Harlan was truly a man of many talents. He began playing the French horn in grade school and spent six years playing with the Ross High School Band, the last four as first chair. Upon graduation from Fremont Ross High in 1949, all his family could afford was what Mr. Harlan described as a "somewhat beat-up trumpet at a very moderate price." With his ability to play virtually any piece of music "by ear," he began performing in small groups with local musicians. By the 1960's, Don was well known as a singer/trumpet player and also enjoyed playing French horn in the Fremont Civic Orchestra under direction of Herbert Murphy. Later, Don was a featured player in the very popular quartet, The Bill Karl Four (Bill Heckters), and remained steadily engaged with them over a period of several years. His desire to perform led him to the Fremont Community Theatre, where he and his wife (and family) participated for nearly 25 years. He designed and built their present facilities. He appeared on-stage in several productions and directed many others. He was justifiably proud of his portrayal of Tevye, the lead in "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1979. He also played in the theater orchestra and served as its director. Behind the scenes, he often designed and built the sets and was a board member and officer, both for FCT and for the Ohio Community Theatre Association. During this time Don also began writing plays and musicals, many of which were produced for the stage at FCT. His passion for playwriting continued and he eventually penned an outdoor epic musical about the first settlement in Ohio. He was also a songwriter, composer and producer, releasing his own single, "Lonely Soldier," in English and Spanish. In addition to his time at FCT, Don continued playing and singing with such diverse groups as the "Good Time Charlies" and the "Alternative to Bingo Band" plus his own 14 piece orchestra which he organized in 1984. By the mid 90's, he was appearing regularly with the popular, local big band, "Dana Dorsey and the Blue Notes." A tireless promoter of community culture, Don coordinated the Fremont Sauerkraut Festival and assumed control of the Miss Sandusky Valley Pageant (Preliminary to Miss Ohio/Miss America). In 1997, Mr. Harlan organized the Fremont Ross Music Alumni Foundation (FROMALUM) and served as its president, along with his wife, Sally (as a board member), until both retired from their respective positions in August, 2012. Mr. Harlan was inducted into the FROMALUM Hall of Fame on September 1, 2012. An ardent supporter of the arts, he organized the "Night of Stars" concert November 14, 2009 to benefit FROMALUM and devoted his time to designing a proposed family entertainment center for Fremont. Although perhaps best known for his public cultural contributions, Don also had a full-time "day job" starting with his brothers, Jean and Keith, at a sign business in Tiffin, Ohio. In 1952, the three brothers bought that business and moved it to Fremont as Mercury Neon Sign. Don used his artistic and architectural skills to design unique signage that is still in use today. When he built his own home (beginning in 1957), he even incorporated multi-colored neon panels into his living room wall. The house also includes carpeted walls, triangular rooms, a laundry chute to the basement, reversed hot and cold faucets and numerous other unique features, both planned and unplanned by Mr. Harlan. The home is included in "Fremont: Where History Lives (Historic Homes and Architecture)." One job was never enough for Don, and somehow, he found the time and energy to open his own restaurant, Granny's Supper Club (dedicated to his mother-in-law), in Sandusky. By the 1990's, Mr. Harlan and his brothers had grown Mercury Sign into a $1 million/year business with offices in Defiance and Toledo. As the last surviving brother, he was forced to sell the business and retire in June 2008. He "officially" retired from music and performance on his 80th birthday, January 18, 2011. In his "retirement," Don continued to dream, plan and build. He also enjoyed watching sports and displaying his 1948 Buick Roadmaster Convertible at various auto shows. He had enough raw talent and desire to achieve anything he put his mind to. There simply wasn't enough time. Surviving family includes his wife, Sally; daughters, Mary Methner (and Greg Lowe) of Green Springs, OH, and Terri Dean (and Andrew) of Port Charlotte, FL: sons, Don and Dan; grandchildren, Ryan Shondell (and Cindy Cline), Eric Shondell (and Amanda), and Cory Shondell (and Angie), Adam Methner (and Jenny Whitehead), and Andrew and Madalin Aspacher; great-grandchildren, Matthew, Cole, Cory (Jr.), and Tyler Shondell; sister, Fredalene Bennett of Clyde. He was preceded in death by brothers, Merle, Glenn, and Floyd Payden, Jean and Keith Harlan; sisters, Annabelle Payden and Rae Newman. A tribute to his life will be held during visitation from 2-7 p.m. Sunday, November 4 at Herman-Kinn-Karlovetz Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 900 North St., Fremont, OH. Services will be held at 6 p.m. with Pastor Fritz Merkes officiating. Instead of flowers, please consider a donation to the Fremont Ross Music Alumni Foundation c/o Jan G. Sorg, 212 Briarwood Dr., Fremont, OH 43420.