Donald H. Wilkens

OTTAWA - Dr. Donald H. Wilkens, age 78, of Ottawa, passed away at 10:11 p.m. Thursday, January 7, 2010 at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria. Funeral services will be held 7:00 p.m. Monday at Gladfelter Funeral Home with Pastor Gordon Carls and Pastor Chris Schoon officiating. Entombment will be in Acacia Park Cemetery, Chicago. Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Dr. Wilkens was born June 18, 1931 at Chicago, Illinois, a son of Albert Otto and Henrietta (Wahlenfeldt) Wilkens. He married Janet Audrey Hagelberg June 13, 1953. She preceded him in death June 13, 2006. Surviving are his children, Donald Harlan (Denise) Wilkens of Mansfield, Texas, Deborah Kathleen (Kevin) Gray of Marseilles and Cheryl Renee (Guy) White of Ottawa. He also leaves grandchildren, Amy Renee (Jeremy) Jacobsen, Michelle Kathleen (Michael) Colletti, Salvador Valejo Castro, Austin Ryan Wilkens, Jeremy Christopher Swiatek and Zackery Thomas White; great-grandchildren, Michael Ray Colletti, Jr., Giavanna Renee Colletti, Alexander James Castro and Jocelyn Kathleen Jacobsen. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Albert O. Wilkens. Dr. Wilkens was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, the Naperville VFW and the ASPCA. He proudly served as a dentist in the U.S. Air Force, retiring at the rank of Colonel. He also practiced dentistry at Grove Dental Associates in Downers Grove. He loved to travel in his RV. An avid sports fan, he closely followed the Bears, Blackhawks, Cubs, Bulls and his alma mater, Northwestern University. Memorial contributions may be directed to the American Cancer Society for Colon Cancer Research or to the ASPCA in lieu of flowers.