Dr. Donald Fausel

Fausel, Dr. Donald
Dr. Donald Fausel passed away peacefully on June 12, 2017, at the age of eighty-seven. Don is predeceased by his brother James Fausel, formerly of Scottsdale, AZ, and his parents Jane and J. Otto Fausel of Albany, NY. He is survived by his nephew Jim Fausel Jr.; niece Laura Li; stepdaughter Sandra Moxey; stepgrandson Alexander Nie; and a large extended family (McCarroll, Fausel, Li). Don was born a month after the start of the Great Depression of 1929. He spent the next eighteen years of his life in Albany, NY. He went to grammar school with the good Sisters of Mercy and high school at Christian Brothers Academy, a Junior ROTC school administered by the Christian Brothers. Don mentioned in a recent email message to his Albany cousin Bob Brew, "Oh! In my CBA quarterly magazine, under the 1940s the only two that were there [at a recent Reunion] were Father Peter Young '49 and Dr. Don Fausel '47. How about that?" After high school, Don attended St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, CT, from which he received an A.A. degree. From there, Don went on to St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, MD to complete his Bachelor's degree in philosophy. His next four years were spent at St. Mary's Pontifical University and Seminary, where he received a Bachelor's degree and a Licentiate degree in Theology. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1957. During his time in the priesthood, Don served at Catholic Charities, Dominican Retreat Center, and Marian Lodge at Pyramid Lake, NY. Don held three doctorates and degrees from St. Mary's in Baltimore, MD, Fordham University, and Columbia University. His father J. Otto Fausel is remembered as proudly saying of Don, "He has more degrees than a thermometer". During his time at Columbia, he received a dispensation from his vows as a priest from Pope Paul VI. After receiving his Ph.D. in 1969, he accepted a position as Assistant Professor at Arizona State University where he taught sociology and social work for the next thirty years. During his time at ASU, he advanced to the rank of Professor and served as Assistant Dean, Director of the MSW Program, and Associate Dean of the School of Social Work. Upon his retirement from ASU in 1999, he was appointed as Professor Emeritus in the College of Public Programs. He continued teaching for nine more years in Walden University's on-line doctoral program in Health and Human Services. He finally retired as an educator in 2007 and subsequently spent three years writing his memoir, From Blind Obedience to a Responsible Faith. He was a fighter for social justice all his life, including marching with Caesar Chavez for rights for immigrant farm workers. In addition, he was an avid blogger. In a February, 2017 post on the Southwest Conference Blog Embodying God's Unconditional Justice and Love, he wrote a piece titled "Divest or Invest." Don's post provides a hint of his lifelong concern for the community and our changing climate: "I still have signs in my closets like, "Elders for a Sustainable Future" or "Mr. President Veto Keystone XL" that I carried outside of Senator John McCain's office in Phoenix, AZ or on the corner of downtown Tempe, AZ with a group of folks who hoped they could change President Obama's mind." Don met his wife Jane in 1993 while standing in line to buy an apple pie. They married in 1995 and were happily married until Jane entered into the hands of the Lord in 2013. A celebration of his life will be held at 10:00 AM on Thursday, June 22, 2017 at the Luther Life Center on the Beatitudes Campus, 1610 W. Glendale Ave., Phoenix, 85021. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Norton Thoracic Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, 500 W. Thomas Rd, Suite 500, Phoenix, AZ 85013. Visit http://www.hansenmortuary.com for condolences.