Donald J Hohn

Donald James Hohn passed peacefully at his home in Brackney, PA on November 10, 2025 after courageously fighting lung cancer. Born June 16, 1959 to the late Louis James Hohn and Ida Griffis Hohn, Don grew up in Elk Lake, PA.

As a boy Don worked on his uncle Oscar Hohn’s farm, where he first learned the strong work ethic that he would carry throughout his entire life. Working alongside his dad in the first family business, Hohn Silo Company, he saw a tremendous example of entrepreneurship which would later inspire him to start his own business, Hohn Construction Inc. He attended Penn State University and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Mechanization, then joined his dad fulltime as the business grew to include Dimock Lumber. When the family businesses closed, Don joined Agway’s building division as a project manager, which laid the groundwork for starting his own construction company in 1992.

While at Elk Lake High School, Don met Shelley Pierson, who he married in 1984. They built their own home in Brackney and together grew both their business and their family, with daughter Kristin and son Matthew. Don’s love language was food. With it he brought family and friends together, made employees and coworkers smile, and even fed the opposing team when cooking for Matt’s baseball games. His smoked meats were legendary and he always made enough to share. He enjoyed hunting, porch-sitting with friends and a nice single malt scotch. He found his greatest joy in recent years as Grandpa/Papa Don, giving excavator rides and extra dessert to Felix and Jake.

Don succeeded in most things he set out to do. He had an eye for detail and had a reputation for holding himself and his crews to the highest of standards, even if it meant tearing something apart and redoing it. His company motto became “We know it’s right because we did it twice.” Don thrived on problem solving, frequently coming up with the ideas while he slept. He could figure out how to build, improve upon, or fix most anything and would sketch it on whatever was handy, including paper plates and scrap pieces of wood. It was these qualities and Don’s expertise that, over 33 years, grew Hohn Construction, Inc. into a successful enterprise offering design and build of large-scale metal buildings in multiple states.

Besides his parents, Don was predeceased by an infant sister. He is survived by Shelley, his wife of 41 years; daughter Kristin and son-in-law John Kowalski, Liverpool, NY; son Matthew and daughter-in-law Kiera Hohn, Marlborough, MA; grandchildren Felix and Parker Kowalski and Jake, Clark and Amara Hohn; sister Patricia (Byron) Hunsinger, Springville, PA and brother Edward (Stacy) Hohn, Allentown, PA; sisters-in-law Colleen (Karl) Gesford, Dimock, PA and Maureen Pierson (Karla Amburgey), Moorestown, NJ; brother-in-law Kevin (Melanie) Pierson, Rush, PA; many beloved cousins, nephews, nieces and special friends.

A Funeral Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, November 14, 2025, at the Daniel K. Regan Funeral, with Pastor Joe Bynum of the Silver Lake Christian Community Church, officiating. Interment will be in the East Rush Cemetery, Rush Twp., PA. Visitation will from 4-6 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.  

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Silver Lake Christian Community Church, c/o Betty DeLousia, 6665 Laurel Lake Rd, Brackney, PA 18812 -- or to any local charity that helps children and families in need.