Donald S. Beery

Donald Sargent Beery, age 68, of Saugatuck, passed away on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026.
In his 68 years, Don made an impact on the Saugatuck-Douglas community that can't be put into words. From his numerous jobs -- including grooming the golf course at Clearbrook and polishing the lanes at the bowling alley and 37 consecutive years manning the grill at The Butler, to name just a few -- to coaching JV football, substitute teaching, and just being a great friend, husband, father and grandfather, Don touched many lives in Saugatuck and Douglas.
Don loved his family and loved to tell anyone he came across all about them, even if they had just met. He inherited that trait from his mother, who was so proud of him and the family he built. Don was also very proud of his childhood and loved telling stories about growing up in "the good ol' days" in Douglas. He spent his time playing ball at the park, fishing or muskrat trapping on the Kalamazoo River and hunting all over Allegan County or smelt dipping on Lake Michigan. When he wasn't doing that, he was busy spending time with his parents, brother and sister and many cousins.
In high school, Don played football, basketball, baseball and put the shot for the Saugatuck Indians and earned numerous all-area awards for his accomplishments. He had a knack for recalling exact details of specific games and took every chance he got to reminisce on his playing days and share a good story with anyone who would listen.
Don was very proud of his time at Northern Michigan University in 1975 and loved to tell people he was in Marquette when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank that fall. He was a Yooper at heart and even had an authentic Stormy Kromer hat and enjoyed visiting the U.P. any time he could. Don graduated from Western Michigan University in 1981.
He married his high school sweetheart Patti in 1980 and started a beautiful family. He passed on many of his own admirable traits to his children, including but most certainly NOT limited to: respecting others, patience, his sarcastic and literal sense of humor, his love for the Detroit Tigers, Lions and ALL Saugatuck sports, his love of cooking (and lots of improvisation while doing it), appreciation for the little things in life, the importance of family, his taste in classic rock music, a love for the Northern Lights and many other natural wonders of the world and SO MUCH MORE.
Don spent nearly four decades as the "grill master" at the Butler. During that span he cooked an estimated half-a-million burgers, according to his family's flawed math skills. And he made twice that many memories with hundreds, if not thousands, of employees. Whether he knew it or not, Don played a huge role in the lives of many young people who had their first jobs at the Butler. Whether that was imparting his culinary expertise, vast knowledge of the Eagles, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd and ANY classic rock that came on the radio, or simply just helping any given employee make the most out of each and every day, his impact was wide-reaching and important to so many. He was truly the Burger King and Daddio of the Patti-oh and loved to cook for anyone and everyone.
Don was extremely proud of Patti and his kids and grandkids. He'd never miss the opportunity to brag on them for all they've done. After leaving the Butler, he spent many years helping Patti, his daughter Katie and son Clayton run their gift shop, It Is What It Is, first in Douglas adjacent to Beery Field and then right on Butler Street in Saugatuck. He got so much joy out of working alongside his family and bragging about them to hundreds of thousands of tourists -- and locals -- every summer. He also made sure everyone knew about Karley carving her own path in Chicago and Kyle pursuing a journalism career in Detroit.
He was the biggest supporter of his children and was always there in any way he could be. Don went to many, many Tigers games and other sporting events all over the Midwest, but his attendance at those games pales in comparison to the number of events he attended involving his kids and grandkids: Saugatuck Middle School and High School basketball, football, baseball and volleyball games, track and cross country meets, Saturday Morning Basketball games and practices, Little League baseball, softball and tee-ball games at Beery Field and Schultz Park, band concerts and parades, Art-A-Loan, dance and piano recitals, school plays, graduations and so much more.
That's not to mention the countless driveway basketball, backyard football and poolside baseball games. He loved the family pool, until he didn't. But every spring he'd put in the hours (and more than a few choice words) to get it ready because he knew how much joy his family got out of it and the memories made back there more than outweighed the hassle of getting it open and closing it back up after every Labor Day.
The man knew how to make his family laugh: dad jokes, "Don-isms," wacky shirts that he learned how to buy online all by himself, inventing silly games and just being himself. Don's family was so important to him and that was highlighted every year by his love of Thanksgiving and Christmas. He'd spend weeks prepping for a Thanksgiving feast that would be devoured during the Lions' annual Turkey Day game, then give a full play-by-play analysis of how it all turned out with every bite we took. By the end of Thanksgiving night, Don was already game-planning for Christmas and coming up with an outline of a menu. Without fail, that menu ALWAYS included his mom's famous ham and cheese roll-ups. Come Christmas Eve, Don would bust out a silly Christmas-themed shirt and spend the next two days reveling in the never-ending feast of meals and snacks, all while sharing stories of Christmases past and making new memories. Even if he once thought "Christmas was ruined" because someone opened a gift that was intended for Patti.
He loved going to breakfast almost every morning with his guy gang and catching up with friends any chance he got. He loved watching the Tigers and Lions or any number of sporting events from his famous window seat. If it wasnt sports on the TV, he was watching Food Network or countless re-runs of his favorite shows: Chicago PD, The Sopranos, Leave It To Beaver and more.
Many of Don's favorite memories included the countless trips he took, no matter how big or small: driving the conversion van to Panama City Beach, Florida, to see his mom with the whole family; a trip to Hawaii with Patti; Spring Break trips to Myrtle Beach, Minneapolis, St. Thomas and a cruise on the Big Red Boat; Falling Waters Lodge in Leland; his yearly pilgrimage to the MHSAA basketball state finals in Lansing; snowmobiling in Yellowstone; deer camp up north with his friends; short day trips to Indianapolis or the Radisson Hotel; drives to the U.P. and of course, just his daily drives around town and down the lakeshore to watch the sunset. He LOVED to travel and cherished all of the trips he took with his family -- even if they don't have the home movies to prove they were there because he left the family video camera in a store on a tropical island.
Every time Don left on one of those trips, he couldn't wait to get back to the little town he loved more than any place in the world. Saugatuck-Douglas is his forever home and it will be forever different without him here, but his family and community will carry on his legacy to make sure the world knows he was here decades from now.
In lieu of flowers, the Beery family is asking for donations to Saugatuck-Douglas Heart Safe Initiative, sdheart.org. They appreciate hearing stories, memories and photos on Facebook or via text, because in the end, that's all we've got left.
A celebration of life will be held at Spectators on Sunday, March 1, beginning at 1 p.m.
Don is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of nearly 46 years, Patti Beery; four children -- Katie Doucette (and husband Michael Doucette) of Saugatuck, Karley McSay (and husband Alexander McSay) of Chicago, Clayton Beery of Saugatuck and Kyle Beery of Lansing; grandchildren Caralyn and Will Doucette and Odin McSay; sister Donita Beery; sister-in-law Nancy Beery; Mother-In-Law Pat "Grammy" White; In-laws Vicki and Scott Phelps, Todd and Jodi White, Sherry White, Joel White, Brad White, several nieces and nephews, numerous cousins and "granddogs" Meatball, Porter, Paisley and Wayne; and thousands of dear friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents Harold Beery, Donna Beery Heavilin and Charles "Chuck" Heavilin; brother Bill Beery; father-in-law Verser White.
Celebration of Life

Sunday, March 1, 2026
1:00 PM EST
Spectators Sports Bar & Grill
6432 Blue Star Highwat
Saugatuck, MI 49453