Donald S. Playfoot

Obituary of Donald S. Playfoot

Donald S. Playfoot Age 90, Of Horseheads, Ny - formerly of Omaha, NE Don passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 10, 2025 at age 90. Survived by his nieces and nephew: Fran (Chuck) Bitter, Kathryn (John) Wagner, Dr. Kristine (Simon) Shaw, DVM, Dr. Lynn W. Cooman, Jr., M.D., Kevin S. (Suzanne) Cooman, and Badeen (Joseph) Parker; sister-in-law, Aileen Playfoot; numerous grand nieces and nephews. Don was predeceased by his wife, Marion "Mimi" (Cooman) Playfoot; parents, Rex and Harriett Playfoot; brothers, Maynard and Kerwin Sr.; and nephew, Kerwin Jr. A native of Horseheads, New York and a graduate of Horseheads High School in 1954, Don pursued an early career in the hospitality industry in Rochester, New York. After meeting and marrying Marion (a University of Rochester Medical School librarian), Don and Marion moved to Omaha, Nebraska. Don worked for many years for the Douglas County (Omaha) Department of Health, processing payroll and handling multiple administrative tasks for the Department. Don and Marion enjoyed ballroom dancing together, and caring for a series of beloved dogs (Briggy, Rebel, Rebel Too). After Marion's passing in 1987, Don spent more than two decades closely following his favorite junior hockey team, the Omaha Lancers, and traveled frequently all over the Midwest with fellow fans to their away games during the winter. In 2019, Don moved "home" to the Southern Tier, residing in Elmira and finally in Horseheads at the Elcor Nursing Home, where he received dedicated, patient and compassionate care for three years. "Uncle Don" was an avid reader and blessed with a prodigious memory, so he never seemed to forget anything he learned, making him a first-choice teammate for Trivial Pursuit. During his last three years in the nursing home, he read more than 450 books by his favorite fiction authors, and kept up on the news via the Elmira Star-Gazette and Omaha World-Herald on his laptop computer. Interment at Maple Grove Cemetery in the old Playfoot family plot.