Cherished father, partner, son, cousin, nephew, friend, teacher, and comrade in surrealist exuberance Donald Wendell LaCoss passed away on January 31, 2011. He is deeply missed by many people, and we invite you all to post your memories and thoughts here.
Thanks for creating this blog, Susan. My thoughts and sympathies are out there for you. I enjoyed Don so much. He and I had so many thoughtful conversations before, during, and after research and grants this past fall. This is a great loss for UWL and us all. He will be sorely missed.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteDon was one of the first people I met when I moved to La Crosse a few years ago. I showed up at Parent Connection, at Family Resouces, having no idea what I was showing up for. I sat near Don and instantly felt welcome to the group and the community. I had just moved from VT, so we chatted about that. I often ran into Don and Benjamin around town, hanging out. They were a good pair. My son, Jamison, adored Don and Benjamin and always loved seeing Mr. Don.
I am so sorry for Susan, Benjamin and all who loved Don. This community is short one great person tonight.
I was able to visit with Don at playgroup last Friday. He was sitting on the couch watching the craziness of the kids. I sat down next to him and asked him how he was doing and he said he was good. I asked how his book was coming. He just mumbles something. I guessed it was not as far as he wanted it to be. Family, friends, and work have a way of changing our plans. I over heard him say that he was studying a language, I think it was Arabic, and that he was understanding it like Benjamin was understand our English language. It was an interesting observation he had and he related it to his son, Benjamin. He was a gentle giant, a big teddy bear. I will miss him and my prayers are with you all. So sorry for you loss. Gwen
ReplyDeleteJon says…I remember last spring going to pick up the girls at school and seeing Don who was picking up Benjamin. We had a short conversation (school pick ups are like that) and then I noticed the hat Don was wearing, a pink baseball cap embroidered with a crown and the words "God's Little Princess". We both drove away laughing. I thought about Don and that hat a lot today. It was the right hat for him.
ReplyDeleteDon: intense, funny, passionate, endearing, kind, loyal, loving, smart....
ReplyDeleteI'm so sad that I did not take the time in recent years to connect to someone I loved so dearly. Susan--I am heartbroken by this news. All my love to you and Benjamin in a very sad time.
We are so shocked and saddened to hear this news. Our deepest condolences to all of Don's friends and family.
ReplyDeleteI had the pleasure of having Don La Coss as a professor for many of my history courses during my undergraduate years. I was privileged enough to be in some of the first classes that he taught at UW-L. It was always a trip every time I went to class. Partially because of his voice and manner of speaking, some part of me always felt like I was in a live taping of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures. He always had a way of making history "cool" for a lack of a better term. He was definitely one of my favorite professors at UW-L, and one that I always recommended to underclassmen who needed a good history professor or course. It really is a travesty that so many other people will not be able to see and experience what a great individual and professor he was. He will truly be missed.
ReplyDelete-Kabee Vue
Oh, Susan and Benjamin. Our hearts ache for your loss. Yet what an amazingly joyful thing to get to know Don through this outpouring of connections to him. I never had the chance even for a conversation with him. I just remember him as that really cool Dad I'd often see hanging around with his son in the park. Then the really cool Dad appeared, dropping off his child at Three Rivers School. Just his presence ... his aura ... his demeanor with Benjamin ... was enough to know that here was someone out of the ordinary. Someone I'd want to know. Thank you so much for opening this channel to Don LaCoss! And we are sending you light for the road ahead.
ReplyDeleteSanna Yoder for Rick, Maya and Jae too.
Don definitely kept us sane after our move to Wisconsin. He didn't do it by giving us uplifting, optimistic, feel-good advice. He did it by pointing out the silly-ridiculousness in life and how crazy-funny it can be. He helped us to take everything (including ourselves) a little less seriously. It is funny because as dry and sarcastic as he was, there was no one better to turn to if you needed cheering up. In fact we would often amuse ourselves by reading Don's emails out loud. He was there for us whenever we needed him. I will miss his unique perspective - full of humor, insight, curiosity, kindness and mischief. - Holly Haworth
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