Mr. Donald Loudon

March 21, 1930 - August 19, 2020

Donald Loudon, 90, passed away Wednesday August 19, 2020. Donald came to Cortland from Rome, NY in 1973 and lived in the first ARC House on Court Street. Though he had no known family, for the Sheridan and Dwyer families, Donald became part of their families from the beginning, attending all our weddings, birthdays, graduations, and sharing our highs and lows for over 30 years. During the mid 1970s, he befriended Msgr. George Arsenault at St. Mary’s Church one day on Main Street in Cortland and asked if he could join the church. Msgr. Arsenault worked with Donald and taught him the faith by using the church’s stained glass windows as a teaching tool. Donald became a Catholic and communicant at St. Mary’s Church, where he served as altar server for several decades before becoming an usher. For many years, he spent his Saturday evenings and holidays with the family of Deacon Dick Dwyer, always calling dibs on both turkey legs at Thanksgiving dinner. Donald was hired at Recreation Alley’s by Sam Partigianoni. When Sam left, Donald stayed on and continued working for Pete Sheridan until Donald retired after working for 30 years. Donald was proud of belonging to the Knights of Columbus Cortland Council #233 where he was a Fourth Degree member and a member of the Knights of Columbus Honor Guard serving at funerals and special occasions. In 2015, he was inducted into the Cortland USBC Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the Moose Club where he did much volunteering when needed. He loved bowling with the Senior Men’s Bowling league at Cort-Lanes, in which he participated until five years ago. He was a fan of the NY Yankees and NYH Giants and the Syracuse Orange. Donald had developed many friendships over the years and was much beloved in the community. His enthusiasm and genuinely pure heart will be truly missed. Private graveside services will be conducted in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Riccardi Funeral Home, Cortland, N.Y.