Donald Wayne Shoemaker, age 65, of Raleigh, NC, passed away on the morning of July 4, 2024 after a brief battle with illness at Rex Hospital. Born to the late Frank Richard and Eva Jo Shoemaker in Atlanta, Georgia on November 25, 1958; Don is survived by his 3 children, Ashley (Marianito), Abie, and Andrew, 2 grandchildren, Cole and Parker, brother Frank, ex-wife Debra, and soulmate Leslie Jones-Bennett.

After graduating from Sequoyah High in Doraville, Georgia, Don attended the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Engineering specializing in Electrical Engineering. Don used this background to build a distinguished career with time spent turning colleagues to friends at Nortel, Gartner, Delta Products, the State of North Carolina, and Elster/Honeywell prior to retirement.

Outside of work, Don lived a full life. All throughout, he enjoyed spending time outside in many forms, a gift that he always shared with those around him. In his early years, Don was an avid baseball fan/player, loved to go on hikes in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains and spend time with loved ones at the beach. Alongside this, Don was passionate about gardening, grilling, and building; you could always find him either out in his yard hard at work, smoking something on the grill, or tinkering away in his garage on a home project such as one of his many pinball machines.

In retirement, Don was able to enjoy numerous wonderful years with his love, Leslie – traveling the world, attending concert after concert, expanding their culinary adventures, and above all, watching their hummingbirds. He was also able to share his time with a lifelong group of friends whom he cherished, as they continued to get together for their weekly poker games.

A Celebration of Don’s life will be held at Bond Brothers Brewing Co. (202 E Cedar St., Cary, NC 27511) from 12-3pm on Friday, July 12,2024. All friends and family welcome.

Perhaps one of Don’s greatest passions was his love of dogs, beginning with his first dog, Tyler. With that in mind, he has requested that in lieu of flowers, please donate to the SPCA of Wake County – a wonderful organization where Don volunteered much of his time.