Donald S. Hebeisen passed away peacefully on Dec. 22nd, 2021. 
His life partner, Berlee DeCoux, compiled this loving tribute: 

Don's Life Story

Donald Hebeisen was a loving and fun man who liked to dress well.

He was given the nickname “Hollywood”. During his working career

he had fifteen three-piece suits and even had a white tuxedo for

fancy holiday parties. He had a deliberate style, always taking much

time to think over anything, in stark contrast to Beverlee’s style. He

was “ready, ready, ready”. She was “ready, fire”.

Don was the first child of Fritz and Vi Hebeisen, born in Detroit

Michigan on May 9, 1946. His brother, Dale, joined the family four

years later.

The family moved back to Minnesota, where both his parents grew

up, to a duplex home on the river road in Minneapolis. The renters

of the duplex were a family by the name of Maeda. Many years later

Don connected with the family, once to visit the father, Don Maeda,

at his home in St. Paul along with his mother, Vi, and again to share a

photo of the children when they were very young.

Don’s family moved to a home on Edgewater in Moundsview when

Don was about five. That was the home Don remembered best. It

was near Lake Johanna, where Don swam in the summer and even

had a summer job selling popcorn. Most of his school friends grew

up in that neighborhood and he had many stories about them.

Don’s Dad eventually finished the basement with a bedroom for Don

and a room with a pool table. Don spent many hours perfecting his

pool skills and drinking a few beers with his good friend, Frank

Hathaway.

Don, Frank, and his good friend, Gary Cassidy, enlisted in the Navy

in 1964 when Don was aged 18. This was during the Vietnam war

and Don served for four years. He was assigned to a year of training

in Chicago for Electronics Technician, rising to the rank of ETN1.

Don served aboard the U.S.S. Buchanan and stopped at ports around

the world, including Hong Kong, Thailand, and Japan among many

others.

At times Don’s ship was in port at Treasure Island near San

Francisco and at San Diego.

After the Navy Don attended the University of Minnesota,

Minneapolis and graduated in 1972 with a degree in Business

Administration.

During new student week he met Shelley Hale and they dated

throughout college and were married after his graduation. They

divorced after six years of marriage.

Don worked at Metalmatic during college as well as a dental supply

firm. He credited his excellent “mental GPS” for the need to learn

city streets quickly while he was delivering. His first job after college

was as the business manager, handling accounts payables and

receivables for a plumbing supply company.

He joined Honeywell as an accountant in the government contracts

division. He was awarded a plaque for outstanding service. With

major cuts across the company, he was finally laid off.

He attended graduate school with Mankato State College, taking

courses in Minneapolis.

By that time, he had started buying duplexes in northeast

Minneapolis, near the Honeywell plant. He eventually acquired five

duplexes and did all the maintenance and renting himself.

Don played golf relentlessly, playing nearly every course in

Minnesota. He also bowled, played racquetball, tennis, and city

league softball.

After leaving Honeywell, he considered managing the duplexes as

his job but decided he needed medical insurance coverage. He

applied at the US Post Office and with his high scores on the

entrance exam along with his veteran’s preference he was quickly

hired. He worked for only a few years until in 1998 he suffered an

aortic aneurysm, which is usually fatal. He was hospitalized for

nearly a month, receiving an artificial heart valve and suffering

several relapses with infections and multiple surgeries. He said

when he got out of the hospital he thought he wouldn’t live until

Christmas. Little did he know! He retired from the post office due to

his health issues at age 54.

Don’s parents traveled to the Rio Grande Valley area of Texas for

over 40 years and Don visited them often. It was natural for Don to

move to the valley after his early retirement and he bought a home

in Sunshine Estates in Harlingen TX.

That’s where he was living when he connected with Beverlee

DeCoux on the internet. He had been using internet dating sites for

several years but never made a connection that lasted. Until

Beverlee. They began corresponding in 2008 and met in person in

2009 and never stopped. They bought their first home together in

2010, a “wow” home in Palm Valley near Harlingen. Don’s Mother,

Violet, lived with them two winters. Back in Minnesota, where they

both spent summers, they bought a unit in a senior cooperative, the

Gramercy, in Burnsville. In 2017 Don and Beverlee bought their

home in Alamo Country Club where they lived until his death.

Don and Beverlee enjoyed traveling between their two homes,

which were both like resorts. They loved to go out to eat, to go to

Costco, watch the Twins baseball games together, every game. They

joined other Minnesotans to watch the Vikings games in Texas at the

Texas Rose in La Feria and then at the Weslaco Buffalo Wild Wings.

They met new friends at both places, especially Maureen and Bob

Keppy. They enjoyed riding the light rail line in the Twin Cities,

visiting Target Field, the new Vikings Stadium, and the Gopher

football stadium. They traveled to Duluth for a fall vacation several

times, traveled to Taylors Falls to see the fall leaves, drove through

the hill country of Texas, visited South Padre Island several times

every winter, loved seeing the SpaceX site near Brownsville TX, and

enjoyed driving around the lakes of Minneapolis many, many times.

They enjoyed touring model homes, both in Texas and in Minnesota.

Don and Beverlee hosted many parties in their homes. Beverlee

planned them and Don went along with it. They hosted holiday

parties, neighborhood parties, going away parties, Super Bowl

parties, and some just for fun. In their homes Don was the

“dishwasher cop.” He believed he was the only one who could

properly load the dishwasher. Beverlee unloaded it. A perfect match.

Don loved Beverlee and she loved him. He was very expressive

about his feelings. Once at her brother’s home he was asked

something about Beverlee and he said, “because I love her”. Her

brother said, “good answer.” Don often praised Beverlee to his

friends and family.

Don and Beverlee were both accountants and enjoyed comparing

notes on investments and finances. They both were conservative

with their money, maybe Don a bit more than Beverlee. They both

invested well and always lived within their means, a quality they

both admired in each other.

Don had multiple health issues ever since his aneurysm and they

both knew that when they met. They were determined to enjoy the

time they had together, and they did. Don’s final nine days in the

hospital were spent with Beverlee by his side at every possible hour.

They reminisced about fun times, talked about how their years

together were the best time of their lives, and enjoyed each other’s

company.

We should all be so lucky to have our final illness filled with the

company of a loved one, be short and with little pain, and have a

peaceful death. Rest in peace, Don.

Don is survived by his life partner, Beverlee DeCoux, brother Dale

and his wife, Mary Jo, of Forest Lake MN, nephews, Jay and his

partner, Natalie Sommers, of Atlanta GA, and John of Hugo MN,

special cousins, Steve and his wife, Leann Johnson and Bruce and his

partner, Mary Jo, his uncle, Dick Hebeisen and his wife, Noreen, aunt

Coralee Hebeisen, uncles John Barten and Jim Mundt, Beverlee’s

daughter, Chavienne Gruber and son-in-law, Nick Chope, and their

children, Genevieve “Vivi” Gruber and Lyman Chope of Portland OR,

and many cousins and friends.