Donald Louis Taravella

DONALD LOUIS TARAVELLA, 1933-2026

Donald Louis Taravella, 93, passed away March 3, 2026, at home in Houston surrounded by family after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Don was born in New York City in 1933 to Victor and Lillian Taravella. Don graduated from Brooklyn Polytechnic High School before following in the footsteps of his brother Victor, Jr., and enlisting in the US Air Force in 1951. He worked mostly as an aviation mechanic at the US air base in Frankfurt, Germany, during the Korean War.

He met Marie Laviano while spending summers at Sound Beach, NY. They married after Marie graduated from Brooklyn College in 1958. With a family soon on the way, Don found work as a draftsman while attending night school. He and Marie purchased a small starter home in Hempstead, NY, while Don built a career as an electrical engineer. One of his more unusual jobs was at Stone and Webster (the engineering firm that years before had been one of the Army’s contractors on the Manhattan Project); there, Don worked on a military contract to inspect building basements for their suitability for bomb shelters, an assignment he did not like.

Don later attended the Casey Jones School of Aeronautics and the Long Island Lighting technical school. He then joined engineering firm Burns & Roe and always praised the practical knowledge he gleaned there. Don’s career path took him next to M.W. Kellogg (later Kellogg Brown and Root), where he built a 32-year career. In 1970, Don made the big decision to transfer with numerous other Kellogg families from New York to Houston, where the family knew no one. Working for Kellogg enabled Don to travel to France, Indonesia, Japan and Venezuela to examine electrical work on building sites.

Don and Marie settled in Inverness Forest, raising four young children in a home that they helped design. Inverness proved to be a wonderful place to raise a family. Don and Marie were active in numerous Inverness affairs over the years, including working tirelessly to push for construction of a levee that has since saved Inverness Forest from flooding.

Don retired in 1995 and, in 2019, he and Marie moved to the Katy area of Houston, close to their son Andrew and his wife Tammy, who were devoted caregivers.

Don and Marie have frequently said how proud they are that their children each pursued careers in public service – nursing and healthcare, law enforcement and humanitarian aid. In addition to his wife Marie, Don is survived by children Steve (Tim) of New York City, Vicki (Mike) of Placitas, NM, Andrew (Tammy) of Houston, and Dan (Emily) of Nacogdoches; sister Adrienne Badami of Woodbridge, VA; treasured niece Linda Laviano of Middleburg, FL; grandchildren Ben, David, Drew, Erin, Madison, Trevor and Wesley; and numerous other nieces and nephews. Don is preceded in death by his brother Victor Taravella, Jr.

Don retained a strong sense of humor throughout his journey. The family is indebted to the remarkable caregivers who made his last years comfortable, especially Linda, Connie and Hollie.

To mark Don’s life, loved ones will gather informally at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 10, at Veterans Funeral Services, 10567 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77038. A ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m., immediately followed by burial and military honors across the street at Houston National Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Drive, followed by a celebration of life.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions to the Nantz National Alzheimer Center at Houston Methodist Hospital.