Donald Arthur Sillers Jr.

1926 - 2015

SILLERS JR., Donald Arthur Born September 12, 1926, in Bellevue, Pennsylvania, to Laura Bugher Sillers and Donald A. Sillers. Don attended Armstrong Elementary and was in the first class to attend John S. Bradfield Elementary and graduated from Highland Park High School in January 1944. Shortly after graduation he enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After a year at M.I.T. he volunteered for the United States Navy where he served for two and a half years as a radar instructor, until the end of World War II. At war's end he returned to M.I.T and graduated in 1949.Don's inspiration was his father who was granted sixteen patents and founded Peerless Mfg. Company. When Mr. Sillers, Sr. passed away in 1947, Don's mother took the reins of the fledgling company until Don returned from M.I.T. in 1949. With special training from his father and upon graduation from M.I.T. Don was eminently qualified to run Peerless. Don was granted five patents and the company grew and engaged in large government contracts with the U.S. Navy providing high pressure separators for over two hundred of its ships.Don served as CEO of Peerless for forty years, taking the small company public in 1970 and growing it from seventeen employees to over four hundred employees and three plant sites until his retirement in 1993. Don's work at Peerless helped society in several ways. He designed a separator which protects the engines which power our nuclear submarines as well as separators which protect the turbines of our guided missile destroyers and separators which are vital to the operation of our nuclear plants. Over twelve thousand of the separators were used in the Atomic Energy Commission's plants. Don traveled extensively at home and abroad securing orders which were vital to the Dallas economy. In addition to the defense-related work, Peerless produced thousands of separators and filters which enhanced the operation of natural gas facilities, electric power generation plants and commercial plants which produce fertilizer for food production.One of his patented inventions called a scrubosphere was used to protect natural gas compressor stations in the Trans-Canadian pipeline, the largest gas pipeline in the world at the time. Later a more advanced design was used on the Russian gas pipeline across central Europe. On the day of his retirement in 1993, the following tribute was presented Mr. Sillers in a beautiful album: "The directors and employees of Peerless Mfg. Company honor and recognize Donald A. Sillers, Jr. for his forty years of leadership and faithful service while demonstrating an extraordinary blend of wit and compassion."Don married Virginia Diehl in 1949 and together they had three sons, Donald III, Robert and John. He served the Church of the Incarnation as Junior Warden, and as Captain of Usher team #6 for over 30 years. As a member of the Dallas Country Club he was on the board of directors for six years and served as president in 1982. Don loved his golf buddies as well as the Iron City Fishing Club, and watching any game involving his three sons whether it was tennis, soccer or football. Don is survived by Ginny, his wife of 65 years and sons Don [wife I-Yu], Robert [wife Judy] and John [wife Elise] and eight grandchildren, David and wife Kristen, Laura and husband Matthew-Elliott, Sarah Anne, Scott and wife Ryan, Rebecca Blair, Arthur, Anna and Diehl. And one adored great-grandchild, Adam, the son of Kristen and David Sillers. Pallbearers are Bill Johnson, Edward Perry, Karl Anderson, Sherrill Stone, Miles McInnis, Norris Cooley and Ray Muzyka. Visitation for family and friends will be on Monday, November 23, 2015 from 6:00-8:00 PM at Sparkman Hillcrest. Services will be held on Tuesday November 24th at the Church of the Incarnation at 2:30 pm. A reception will follow in the Great Hall. In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate any memorials made to the Parkinson's Voice Project, 646 N. Coit Road, Suite 2250, Richardson, Texas 75080 or the Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75204.