Donald Jerome Fistler, known as Don, a visual merchandiser who spent 38 years with J.C. Penney and was an accomplished restorer of antique cars and pedal cars, died April 29 in LaGrange. He was 92.
He died at home, according to his obituary.
Fistler was born March 30, 1934, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the son of Alfred and Lenora Meissener Fistler. He graduated from Wausau High School in 1952, where he played halfback on the varsity football team and ran track. He later attended Layton School of Art and Design in Milwaukee.
From 1957 to 1963, he served in the United States Army, rising to the rank of staff sergeant.
Fistler began his career with J.C. Penney in 1958 in the shoe department in Wausau. In 1963, he transferred to the Ford City Shopping Mall location in Illinois, where he moved into the display department and became Visual Merchandise Manager. He retired in 1996 after 38 years with the company. Colleagues knew him as “Display Donnie” and “Visual Man.”
He was married to Elizabeth Braatz, with whom he had three children: Carla, Richard, and Donna. After Elizabeth’s death, he married Kay Muenchow Gorman, with whom he had two children: Sarah and Laura. He had 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Fistler was known for restoring antique cars, including a 1940 Chevy Woodie Wagon he called “Busby,” which won numerous car shows. He also restored pedal cars, each with its own theme. He was an avid collector of toy cars and gas and oil memorabilia.
Outside his profession, he decorated his home and neighborhood with seasonal and holiday displays. He was a storyteller and was known for his humor and “Dad jokes.”
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Elizabeth; his brother Alfred Jr.; and his sister Barbara Voss.
Visitation and a celebration of life will be held Saturday, May 30, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Damar-Kaminski Funeral Home & Crematorium, 7861 S. 88th Ave., Justice.
Burial will be Monday, June 1, at 1 p.m. at Lutheran Cemetery, 1836 New Jersey Ave., Sheboygan, Wisconsin.