Donald "Don" Gerard Gies, Jr.

Donald “Don” Gerard Gies, Jr., age 68, of Colfax, NC born to Donald Gerard Gies Sr. and Mary Rita Dorr Meininger Gies in Baltimore, MD passed away Monday, December 5, 2022 following a stroke. Don was a devoted and loving husband, father and brother who dedicated his life to providing for those he loved through hard work, time, and tender-hearted affection. Don is remembered as an honest man who strived for excellence in everything he did and was strong in his values.

Don spent his childhood years traveling all over the United States with his seven brothers and sisters. Their adventures have been told at all family gatherings, Don being quite the storyteller. He is remembered by all his siblings for his cleverness and good humor.

Don graduated in 1978 from the University of Maryland at College Park (Go Terps!) with a BS in Business and Management, proudly following in his father’s footsteps. He was a fraternity brother of Phi Sigma Kappa where he shared cherished and hilarious memories with his brothers. During this time, he notably worked on the restoration of an Apollo spacecraft that currently sits in the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. He then earned his Masters of Business Administration in Aviation with distinction from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1981. Don was a lover of all things aeronautical, and spent his life working with and admiring aircraft.

Don met his wife Lynda in 1984 after she spotted “Disco Don” cutting a rug. He asked her to dance to a Four Tops song that night, and shared 32 years of marriage together since August of 1990. They have two children Don G. Gies III, 29, and Gwendolyn Gies, 27.

Don has always been a revered colleague to many, with strengths in strategic planning and management. He is proud of his time at Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG/ Dornier Aviation (North America), Inc. as CFO from 1986-1997. He moved on to another leadership role at Mercedes-Benz Credit Corporation from 1997-2005. The family moved to Chicago, IL where Don was the VP and Group Leader of Business Aviation Finance at Merrill Lynch. Transitioning shortly to the Head of Operations of Volvo Aero Leasing, Inc. in Greensboro, NC during the recession of 2008. Don had such tenacity and drive to give his family the best life he could, and spent this time creating business plans and studying Accounting at Guilford College. He is credited with, almost single-handedly, creating HondaJet’s aircraft finance operation, still in operation today. He served as Senior Manager at HondaJet in Greensboro, NC for many years before retiring. He continued to work on several start-up projects as a financial advisor until his health took a turn.

In Don’s final years, he is noted as saying that he has done everything he has wanted to do. He watched his children grow up, and shared in the joys and everyday triumphs of life. He is endlessly proud of his family and hard-earned accomplishments.

Don’s funeral mass is taking place at his parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary in High Point, NC on Saturday, December 10, 2022 starting at 11 am.  The family will greet friends one hour prior to the service and at a reception in St. Edwards Hall following the service.  You can view the Saturday funeral mass on a live stream by going to https://www.ihmchurch.org/ and clicking on "Join Live Stream."  You will be directed to the IHM YouTube page. A burial ceremony will occur at Our Lady of the FIelds in Millersville, MD on Monday, December 12 at 10:30 am.

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