Donald A. Windsor

Donald Arthur “Don” Windsor died on Monday, December 16, 2024 at age 90. Don was born on March 22, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois as Donald Arthur Wyszynski, the son of Joseph Florian Wyszynski (1900-1972) and Josephine Eleanor (Kiolbasa) Wyszynski (1906-2007). When Joseph had difficulty getting a job because of all the “Polocks need not apply” signs, his buddies suggested that he use an English name. He chose Windsor, the name of the English king and changed the family name.

Don was an introverted recluse, a compulsive doodler, and a prolific writer. He was active in many diverse endeavors and began very young. Don was a precocious child who started following World War II at the age of 4, upon seeing his mother crying when Hitler invaded Poland. At the age of 6 she enrolled him in the Chicago Art Institute’s young artists program where every Saturday his artwork was put on display. After Pearl Harbor, he followed the War on his hand drawn maps. He would continue to draw and paint throughout his life, completing his last piece on December 4, 2024.

As a mild mannered boy, Don was not a good street fighter and frequently got beat up by bullies. After one particular fight in the sixth grade, one of them told him that if he was going to listen to classical music, plant flowers and get good grades, he better learn how to defend himself. He took up weightlifting and boxing and eventually was able to fend them away. This started his daily exercise routines that he continued in some fashion until the day he died.

He grew up on the west side of Chicago in Elmwood Park and attended Catholic school through high school at Saint Vincent Ferrer grade school and Fenwick high school, where he developed a fondness for philosophy and scholarship. His college years were interrupted by a draft hitch in the Army, serving in Korea as a Supply Sargent in an Ordnance Company and received an honorable discharge in 1955. He resumed college under the GI Bill and earned a BS in biology with chemistry and physics minors, and MS in zoology from the University of Illinois.

Don was employed as an information scientist with the Norwich Pharmacal Company at the Research and Development Laboratories at Woods Corners, eventually retiring from Procter & Gamble in 1994 after 28 years.

During his midlife career restlessness, he attended night school at Binghamton University, earning a MS in system science. He applied a systems approach to biology and became a theoretical biologist.

During retirement he returned to biology. His 1998 article “Most of the Species on Earth are Parasites” became a classic and is still being cited. Along with his catchy slogan “Equal Rights for Parasites!” that article led to a paradigm shift in the field of parasitology.

He became involved with the environmental movement, serving as an officer and as a trustee with The Nature Conservancy. He also served as an officer with the New York State Ornithological Association and was an editor of the NY State birding journal. Locally, he was among the founders of the Chenango Bird Club and served as the editor of its newsletter. He was among the founders of the Bullthistle Hiking Club, serving as President and as a hike leader and led about 800 hikes. He served as Deputy Historian for Chenango County and was the prime instigator and editor for the Journal of the Chenango County Historical Society.

Don was an active member of several organizations including Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship, ResearchGate, American Association for the Advancement of Science, NY State Flora Association, NY State Archaeological Association, Chenango Arts Council, Chenango County Historical Society, Chenango Land Trust, Chenango Greenway Conservancy, Toastmasters, Friends of Rogers, and the Finger Lakes Trail Conference.

Don was a long distance runner who completed 6 marathons. When his knees gave out, he became a lap swimmer and could be found in the Norwich YMCA pool most mornings. After the Covid pandemic he walked, did floor exercises, and lifted weights to stay in shape. Don was also a blood donor for many years and donated gallons of blood at American Red Cross blood drives. He had planned to donate his organs but lived past the maximum age to donate.

Don was well known for his humor, knowledge, and kindness. He shared his jokes and knowledge with fellow hikers along trails all over Chenango County. For many years his greatest pleasure was wandering around in the woods with his dog, Bearsie. While in the woods he often encountered old relics of times past. His research into their origins led him into history and then into archaeology. He would later draw from those experiences while writing a local history column, Souvenirs of Yesteryear, which ran in The Evening Sun from 2001-2008, and later in his four volume series of the same title. 

Don was a prolific writer and was turning out at least one publication per month during the years prior to his death. Many of his works can be found on Google where he occupies dozens of pages. Most of his readers are global. His final interest was in the biosphere and how it employs invasive species to repair its wounds and to adapt to climate change.

Don is survived by his children; Arthur Windsor (Debbie) Florida, Ellen Holtzman (Jason) Florida, Heather Tehan (Terry) North Brookfield, NY, and Aaron Windsor (Michelle) Groton, NY; grandchildren, Jamie Praznik (Andrew), Jacob Holtzman, Jonathan Windsor, Hannah Windsor, and Owen Windsor; sister-in-law, Barbara Windsor; nieces, Nancy Trant and Laurie Sligh; sister-in-law, Kathleen Breed; and nephews, Dave Breed, Mike Breed (Nikki).

Don was predeceased by his parents; Joseph and Josephine Windsor; brother, Kenneth “Tony” Windsor; brother-in-law, David Breed; son-in-law, Michael Calkins; and his wife of 52 years, Diane (Breed) Windsor.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Bullthistle Hiking Club, PO Box 225, Norwich, NY 13815 or the Chenango Bird Club, Judith Oliver Treasurer, 61 Hamilton St, Hamilton, NY 13346.

Memory sharing for Don will be held at the Wilson Funeral Home, 68 South Broad Street, Norwich, NY, on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. Friends are invited to the funeral home at 11:00 a.m. until the time of the service.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted with John Antonowicz, owner of the Wilson Funeral Home. 

Raised a Catholic, he spent his entire life pondering theology, eventually separating it from religion. In 2020 he published a preprint on the existential identity of God. He now knows whether he was correct.