Donald Mcnertney
Age - 99
August 19, 2023
Obituary for both:Donald E. McNertney Born March 1, 1924 Died May 3, 2023Doris Y. McNertney Born October 14, 1926 Died April 11, 2022PATRIOTS, CITIZENS, WORLD TRAVELERS, DIPLOMATS, GOOD FRIENDS, PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, GREAT GRANDPARENTS, NEIGHBORSDonald E. McNertney (Don) and his wife Doris Y. McNertney (Doris) recently passed away in Sarasota, Florida. They lived in Sarasota, Florida since 1984 and lived in Bancroft, Iowa during the summer months beginning in 2005. Don and Doris leave behind many friends and family in Iowa, Florida, and many other states, as well as countries across the globe. They have left a legacy of peace, goodwill, and lasting friendships around the world. Don was born in Bancroft, Iowa on March 1, 1924 and died on May 3, 2023; Doris was born in Calcutta, India on October 14, 1926 and died on April 11, 2022. Don and Doris were shining examples of the best qualities of their generation, as citizens who had a world view, and a local grounding wherever they went and lived. They epitomize what many have called "The Greatest Generation," as described by many historians and writers. They leave a legacy that can be emulated, but never equaled. They are survived by their children Michael (Linda), Patrick (Carole), and Laurie (Martin); Grandchildren Jeanette (Alasdair), Jason, Ashley, Sheila, Christopher, Kieran, and Tara; and great grandchildren Alexander and Ava. Don and Doris also leave dozens of nephews and nieces and grand nephews and nieces both in the United States, England, and Australia. Don was preceded in death by his parents Patrick and Esther (Mousel) McNertney, and siblings Harold, Thomas, Mary, and William. Doris was preceded in death by her parents Donald and Sheila Van Dort, and siblings Flo, Catherine, Joyce, and Margaret. Don leaves a younger brother Charles McNertney (Karen) of Bancroft, Iowa and their children and grandchildren who live in many cities across the state of Iowa as well as Minnesota. Don and Doris achieved and accomplished many milestones stemming from the values they gleaned from their families, diverse cultures, as well as their experiences and international travels. Their families both experienced firsthand the hardships of the Great Depression. The Depression more than any other world-wide event brought unforeseeable opportunities and shaped their characters and prepared them for the challenges that lay ahead. Then came the Second World War. After graduating from St. John's High School in 1941 and attending the University of Iowa at the same time as his older brother Harold, Don took the advice of the Dean of Men at Iowa and as a sophomore in 1942 enlisted in the United States Army (in order to avoid the combat roles, explained the Dean, that were awaiting U. S. soldiers in the south Pacific). After basic training, Don was shipped out to Calcutta, India where he served in the China, Burma, India theatre of operations. As Don explained, "our mission was to break the Japanese code," which they did, and which helped the allied armies and navies bring down the Japanese empire! Don met Doris in Calcutta where she was employed with the U. S. Army, working as a secretary for the U. S. Officer Corps. They were married in November of 1946. After discharge from the U. S. Army on March 25, 1946, Don accepted a position with U. N. N. R. A. (the newly created United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration), and spent about seven months in Shanghai, China before his marriage to Doris that same year. The couple returned to Shanghai (in the midst of a country-wide civil war between the nationalists and the communists) and he performed his duties until the threat of communist domination forced all foreign personnel to leave the country. Don and Doris returned to the United States in 1947. Don enrolled in Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service under the G. I. Bill. After two and a half years, he was granted early graduation. Their son Michael was born during this time. He then accepted his first foreign service position with the United States Information Agency (USIA) which at that time was a part of the U. S. State Department. Don and Doris were stationed, as their first foreign assignment, in Calcutta, India and shortly afterwards in Madras, India. Their son Patrick was born during this time. After India, Don and Doris' assignments followed an Asian trajectory at first, then other countries, in the following chronological order: Rangoon, Burma (1956-58) and Leslie was born during this time; Taipei/Kaohsiung, Taiwan (1959-61); Washington, D. C. (1961-62) and Laurie was born during this time; Maracaibo, Venezuela (1962-64); Cordoba, Argentina (1965-68); Washington, D. C. (1968-70); Madrid, Spain (1970-74); Manila, Philippines (1974-76); Washington, D. C. (1976-79); and ending his career with his last post in Cairo, Egypt (1979-81). Their daughters Leslie and Laurie attended school at Saint John's in Bancroft in the fall of 1974 prior to their assignment in Manila. He also spent about eight months at the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia in 1964, and was assigned to the San Antonio, Texas World's Fair (the HemisFair) for about 6 months in 1968, representing his agency and proselytizing USIA's strategic mission of "Telling America's Story to the World. "Donald and Doris were the consummate Cold Warriors during the '50s and '60s when the threat of communist domination loomed large and was challenging and threatening the United States' role as a Bulwark of Democracy. During these times, Don helped develop connections with foreign citizens through the "People-to-People" Program, an idea that was established by President Eisenhower and gained traction under President John F. Kennedy. The People-to-People Committees along with the Peace Corps were designed to help project U. S. values along with explaining the U. S. democratic tradition to the people of Taiwan, Venezuela, and the entire world. Don relied heavily on the Bancroft tradition of baseball (he credited St. John's coach VJ Meyer as a positive influence on his life) to help develop a high school baseball league in Maracaibo, Venezuela. He brought in local professional players such as Luis Aparicio (then with the Baltimore Orioles) and Vic Davalillo (then with the Cleveland Indians) to enhance the stature of inter-scholastic baseball exchanges with Rhode Island High Schools. He also ran and developed a USIS library called Casa Americana to promote mutual understanding through books and cultural exchanges. On one occasion in 1963, the Library and office were attacked by communist sympathizing students resulting in a shootout between the private, plain-clothed security guard and the radical students in the front of the building. This episode underscored the danger of working in countries that were heavily under the sway of Marxist-inspired propaganda from both China and in Latin America, the communist regime in Cuba. Fortunately, no one was killed in this attack. The attack failed and the building was not damaged primarily because of the bravery of the security guard who was seriously wounded but survived the attack. Following his posting in Taiwan, in late 1961, Don was awarded a Meritorious Service Award by USIS Director Edward R. Murrow for the programs he developed in Taiwan as part of the aforementioned People-to-People Program. As Don worked for better understanding between the U. S. and the Taiwanese by stressing Sino-American cooperation in the fields of sport, music, and art, Doris was also very active engaging in English teaching programs, serving on committees to award scholarships to high school students, for student exchange programs, and many community service projects supported by funding and participation by local U. S. military personnel. While serving as USIS information officer at the US embassy in Madrid, Don also was honored by the Spanish government in 1971 when General Francisco Franco, Chief of State, bestowed upon him the Order of Civil Merit. This recognition was for his work as a liaison between the Spanish press corps and the U. S. media covering the state visit of President Richard Nixon to Spain in the fall of 1970. This award is considered one of the most prestigious awards a civilian can receive, and rarely given to foreigners. Don and Doris often said that one of their favorite posts was Cordoba, Argentina. The Argentine culture and people have longstanding historical ties with the U. S. Following Argentina, Don and Doris also said that they enjoyed Madrid, Spain, their only European assignment, very much. From 1981 and up until 2022, Don obtained a real estate brokerage license and became active in the real estate market. Doris also obtained her real estate license and they worked as a team. Don also engaged in managerial training programs teaching organizational communication and improvement techniques. It was a common occurrence to hear Don bring up concepts like Management by Objective, Situational Awareness, and Task Maturity used in connection with farm issues and employment matters or in connection with any situation that merited discussion. He also liked to use these terms on his kids if they were starting to slack off!Starting around 2002, Don and Doris were able to live part of the year in Bancroft, where they enjoyed focusing on the farms and ensuring that the farming legacy, begun by Don's parents Patrick and Esther, would continue to be enjoyed by future generations. His brother Charles' efforts as the farmer of the McNertney farm partnership are recognized by the participation of Charles' sons Tim McNertney and Joe McNertney, in current farming operations. Their sisters Mary, Geri, and Sherrie are also heirs and well versed in the farming legacy started by their grandparents in 1915. The farming legacy meant a lot to Don and Doris and they greatly enjoyed their summer stays in Bancroft. They also enjoyed seeing and interacting with their many friends and partaking in the Bancroft lifestyle and all it has to offer. Don and Doris thought globally but acted locally. They loved the interactions with friends and their extended families not only in Bancroft but across the U. S. and the international community. When Don left Iowa in 1942 to join the U. S. Army, he looked ahead but never stopped looking back to his family and friends in Bancroft. In a very real way, Don and Doris took their core values of honesty, service before self, and goodwill and applied these concepts in every foreign assignment. This paid huge dividends. Internationally, they formed many personal and lasting friendships. And as much as their foreign friends were appreciated, Don and Doris also had a profound impact on the foreign friends they made, judging by the hundreds of Christmas cards Doris would mail out each year. As recently as May 21, 2023, Don's good friend Alfredo Amestoy (well known throughout Spain as one of the premier television personalities, a producer/director for Television Espanola, and independent filmmaker) expressed his deep sorrow at learning of his friends' (Don and Doris) passing. In a letter he wrote:"I am privileged and honored through our friendships by their high class and the distinction they gave me. I visited Bancroft (in 1973) and did a special television episode on farm life in an Iowa town (Bancroft) for Spanish Television (that was broadcast later that year throughout Spain). I saw firsthand how the values of his hometown formed the character of our friend Donald and how this prepared him to serve his country in positions of high responsibility, as a public official, and a diplomat. He was a good friend because he was genuine and your parents were special people. Their legacy will live on through their family and friends. "A funeral Mass will be held on September 12, 2023 (Tuesday) at 10:30 AM at Divine Mercy Parish ~ Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Bancroft, followed by interment at Saint John's Catholic Cemetery. A luncheon will follow at Saint John's Church basement.Show more
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