Donald Gerard Hailer

Widely considered to be one of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet, Donald Gerard Hailer (1929 – 2025), passed away peacefully on July 9, 2025.

He leaves behind his wife of 61 years Sheila (Farrell) Hailer. Survivors also include son Donald Hailer Jr. and his partner Arturo Barrezueta, daughter Catherine Hailer Giglio and her husband Nicholas, daughter-in-law Robin Sellery Hailer, and three grandsons, Nathaniel Hailer, Matthew Giglio and Theodore Hailer. A son, James Hailer, predeceased him.

Born April 30, 1929 in White Plains, NY to Florin and Florence Hailer, Donald was the youngest of 5 siblings: brothers Florin (Sonny) Hailer and Robert Hailer and sisters Janet Hailer McGrath and Clare Hailer Dennis all predeceased him. Donald also leaves behind 46 nieces and nephews, all of whom have declared him their favorite uncle.

Don spent most of his childhood in Newton, Massachusetts, graduating in 1947 from Newton High School. He graduated from Colby College in 1952, then served in the Navy as a Lieutenant JG from 1952 to 1955.

After the service, Don settled back in Boston where he worked for a variety of firms (Honeywell, Gillette, Mattel) in a variety of positions: artist, designer, salesman, and vice president. As a bachelor, Don was active in the Boston social scene for several years and frequently appeared onstage in a variety of community theater productions.

Making perhaps the best decision of his life, Don married Sheila Farrell in 1964. Over the next three years they had three children and settled in Needham, Massachusetts. A career move brought the family to Glen Rock, New Jersey in 1977 where Don and Sheila lived for the next two decades.

At age 57, with three children in college(!), Don decided to break out on his own professionally and, with his wife Sheila as co-pilot, opened their business, Hailer Graphics. The firm was a great success and stayed in operation for 25 years before they decided to retire to Falmouth, Massachusetts in 2000.

Retirement finally gave Don the time and opportunity to renew his love of drawing and painting, a hobby he had cultivated since childhood. A guiding light of the Falmouth Artists Guild, Don perfected and excelled in both watercolor and pastel mediums, winning several competitive art shows throughout the 2000s.

With a desire to live closer to their children, Don and Sheila returned to New Jersey in 2018 and became residents of Cedar Crest, an Independent Living community in Pompton Plains.

As stated above, Don was indeed one of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. His kindness, empathy, and humorous quick wit endeared him to all. Well into his 80s and 90s, he maintained lifelong friendships from college, high school, and even grammar school! Often a best man at weddings (and a godfather three times over), Don inspired love and loyalty from all his friends.

Don was a man of simple tastes and simple pleasures. He loved his family and friends, his hobbies, his church, and his charity work (he and Sheila were involved with "Meals on Wheels" among other organizations). A devout and proud Catholic, Don was guileless, honest, and a firm believer in doing the right thing. "Maintain your character when no one is watching," he'd often say. "You'll sleep better."

A memorial service will be planned for the future.