Donald Joseph Carron, 86, left this earthly life on Sunday, March 17, 2013, to rejoice with our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven.
He leaves his beloved wife of 51 years, Hisako Therese Carron; his loving daughter and son-in-law, Terumi and Mark La Guardia; his three beautiful granddaughters, Cherise La Guardia, Kristin Foss, and Simone La Guardia; his three devoted sisters, Patricia McLoughlin, Lillian Dietz, and Anne Flinter, and many nieces, nephews, and close friends.
Born in New York, N.Y., and raised in the Bronx, the son of William and Lillian (O’Connell) Carron, he was most recently a longtime resident of Gloucester.
In his early years, Mr. Carron attended Fordham Preparatory School. After graduating from high school at age 16, he attended Maryknoll Seminary and became a missionary priest, traveling to Japan after WWII. There he met his future wife, Hisako Takashima, and they worked side by side spreading the word of God for 15 years.
After leaving the priesthood in 1961, Donald and Hisako married and returned to the United States. There he earned his master’s degree from St. John University and taught history at Brentwood South Junior High School for 22 years. He retired from teaching in 1990 and moved to Gloucester, to be closer to his only daughter and her family.
Mr. Carron had a passion for reading and learning, particularly religious and spiritual matters, philosophy, history, and foreign languages. He enjoyed beekeeping and gardening, swimming, jogging, and the martial arts, but valued time spent with family most of all.
He was an active member of the Church of St. Therese, serving as a Eucharistic Minister for many years. He also belonged to the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites and the Knights of Columbus.
The family received friends at Andrews Funeral Home of Gloucester on Wednesday, March 20, 2013, from 6-7:30 p.m. with a Funeral Mass at the Church of St. Therese on Thursday at 11 a.m. with Father James Cowles. Entombment will be in Windsor Gardens Cemetery, Dutton, Va.
Memorial donations may be made to Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue, P.O. Box 1417, Gloucester, Va. 23061.