Donald Kott

Donald "Don" Kott

Donald passed away on June 26, 2023 at the age of 78 in Tucson. He was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1944 and lived there until the mid 1970's. He graduated from Macomber Vocational & Technical High School in 1962. He is preceded in death by parents Joseph and Antonina Kott, and his sister Lillian Kwiatkowski. He is survived by his two daughters, Dawn (Hampton) Jensen and Marie (Tony) Nowicki, five grandchildren (Elisa, Ben, Sam, Tug, & Max), four great grandchildren (Anthony, Mabel, Grace, Iris), two brothers Ronald and Jerald Kott, and many nieces and nephews.

Don started doing automotive repair work in high school in Toledo and continued that profession when he moved to Tucson in 1975. He worked on cars for over 50 years as it was his passion, livelihood, and hobby. He has always had a love for fixing cars and would happily turn a hunk of junk into a work of art. He worked at several dealerships and auto repair shops over the years until he eventually opened up his own repair shop "Tucson Frame & Body Service" in 1986. He had the shop for nearly 25 years and was well known throughout town for his meticulous eye for detail, expertise, and immense knowledge of an array of different vehicles. His favorites were classic cars, race cars, and he was especially interested in the restoration of antique cars, which he was really good at. He was a member of several car groups like Antique car Club of Tucson, ICAR, ASA, as well as civic and social clubs. He also had a radio talk show called "Talkin Cars" where he would give advice on repairs and maintenance of motor vehicles. Cars were his life!

Don loved to dance and loved all kinds of music but especially jazz and the moldy oldies. For several years he attended the "Jazz On The Rocks" music festival in Sedona, AZ and would frequent local venues to listen to local musicians. For the last several years and towards the end of his life, his favorite song was "Your Momma Don't Dance, and Your Daddy Don't Rock and Roll" by Kenny Loggins. This song always put a smile on his face every time he heard it! He loved wearing hats and had quite a collection of baseball caps, trucker hats, fedoras, and Panama/Havana hats. He was rarely seen without one of these hats on. In his spare time he loved to weld and made wrought iron furniture like tables, entertainment centers, and gates. He also tinkered with stained glass and gave away most of his projects. He always liked to keep busy and was very good at building things. His love of NASCAR led him to many races and even a few meet & greets with famous drivers and their teams.

Don will be missed by family and friends but we are happy he is at peace with family up in the heavens above. Many thanks to the staff at Park Villas for taking great care of him for the past 22 months and to the amazing hospice nurses for their compassion, support, understanding, and comforting at the very end of his life. Donations may be made to Agape Hospice at 4400 E. Broadway Blvd. Ste. 400 Tucson ,AZ 85711, so they may comfort and help other families.