Donald "Don" J. Gillen

Donald Joseph Gillen, age 69, passed away surrounded by his family on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. An intimate celebration of life will be held for family at a later date. In memory of Don, kindly consider donating in lieu of flowers, to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases at aasldfoundation.org/donate or to your local fire department. Online condolences may be expressed by visiting Don’s obituary page, viewable at www.reverencefuneralparlor.com.

Donald was born in Winner, South Dakota, on May 15, 1957. He graduated from White River High School in 1975.

Donald worked thirteen years for Burlington Northern in Alliance. He then worked for Rockwell Collins before transitioning to Wabtec Railway Electronics as an application engineer from 1991 to 2023. Don moved to Cedar Rapids in 1993 and was employed with Wabtec until his retirement in 2023. Through Wabtec, Don worked on contracts across northern America as well as in Australia, Turkey, and Brazil.

Donald was a volunteer firefighter for over fifteen years, starting at the Ely Fire Department before moving to Walford and joining the Fairfax Fire Department. He spent time working for FEMA with emergency response teams in areas affected by hurricanes, including assisting with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

One of Don’s favorite activities was putting on fireworks displays. Don assisted with numerous firework shows for more than fifteen years. These included shows around the Cedar Rapids area as well as a large show in Wausau, Wisconsin.

Don is survived by his brothers, Dennis (Coleen) Gillen and Doug Gillen (Sheila); his children, Marty (Maria) Gillen, Christi (Zac) Hays, Michael Gillen, Michelle (PJ) Hoehn, Daniel Gillen (Madde), and Alicia (Zach) Waite; his ten grandchildren, Bradley (Kelsey), Anabelle (Matthew), Aiden, Brianne, Lily, Caitlyn, Rylee, Charlotte; and his two great-grandchildren, Ryan and Brynleigh.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joan and Matt Gillen.