Donald “Don” R. Neau

Donald (“Don”) R. Neau was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin on March 22, 1942, and played his final movement in the symphony of life on Friday, April 24, 2020. He is survived by his beloved children, Michael (Yvonne) Neau of Douglasville, GA, and Victoria (Robert Mull) Neau of Brookfield, WI; cherished sister Eileen (Don) Herrling of Appleton, WI; and adored brother Gene (Yvonne) Neau of Albuquerque, NM. He was the special uncle of Rebecca and Johnathan Scott, and the proud grandfather of Marianna, Christian, Tristan, and Preston Neau, and leaves behind many other dearly loved family and friends. He is predeceased by his parents, Leslie and Susan Neau, and adored sister Linda Scott and brother-in-law John Scott.

Don excelled in trumpet performance at Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha, graduating in 1960, then went on to Lawrence University (then Lawrence College), where he was a proud member of Beta Theta Pi, and graduated in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in music. He continued his studies at Northwestern University, graduating in 1971 with a master’s degree in music. Don was a band director and music educator for 33 years, teaching band in school districts starting in Wisconsin Rapids, then focusing the majority of his career in the West Allis-West Milwaukee school system at the elementary and high school levels. He also conducted summer marching bands and held private music lessons throughout his career. His never-ending love for music was well known around southeastern Wisconsin and beyond, as many former students have reached out to him over the years to thank him for his instruction and guidance. Each and every letter and emailed correspondence was greatly treasured by Don, and his family extends their gratitude for those wonderful testimonials of a teacher’s lasting effect.

Outside of teaching, Don also loved to travel and took family members on various vacations throughout the years to destinations as varied as the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Aruba, St. Maarten, Cancun, Nassau, and of course, Wall Drug. The family road-tripped to the East Coast in 1983 and out West in 1984 and his kids will always remember that summer trip in 1984 as the “Summer of the Big Macs” thanks to McDonald’s historic Olympic blunder. Trips to the Dominican Republic were highly treasured as we visited beloved family and enjoyed all the delights that Santo Domingo had to offer. He also had a special fondness for Tampa, Florida, visiting family often, and enjoyed trips to Las Vegas with his children and friends.

The family would like to thank the staff at Care-Age of Brookfield and Elmbrook Memorial Hospital, especially all the nurses who cared for Don with such compassion, as well as Dr. Martin, Dr. Lieb, Dr. Case, Dr. Yahiaoui, and Jeff Domach for all their care and guidance.

In lieu of memorials, please consider making a donation in Don’s memory to The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (http://www.mhopus.org).

Don opted not to have services, but his kids would recommend honoring his memory in your own way, when the weather warms up in your area, perhaps with the ABBA record of your choice playing on YouTube as you enjoy a cold Coke on a nice summer evening.