Don Sommer, 90
Don Sommer often had a twinkle in his eye. If you knew him well, you can picture this moment: something would strike Don’s funny bone, and he’d throw back his head and let loose a wholehearted laugh, spreading joy to the far corners of whatever room he found himself in.
Born on July 9, 1930, in Kidron, Ohio, Don was the son of the late Lloyd and Anna (Amstutz) Sommer. On March 18, 2026, he died peacefully at home at Danbury Senior Living in Wooster, Ohio.
Early in his life, Don found the twin passions that would shape his next nine decades: music and community.
By the time he got to high school, Don played multiple team sports and even more instruments. He was the quarterback for Dalton High School’s football team, and he won first place in a state-wide marimba competition.
As a student at Goshen College in Indiana, Don sang in as many choirs and quartets as his schedule allowed. Also at Goshen, Don met and married his first wife, Barbara Brubaker (deceased 1988).
After graduating, the couple moved to Kidron and started a family, ultimately raising four children. In Kidron, Don joined the family business-L.E. Sommer & Sons, Inc.-and initiated and conducted music endeavors in the community, including The Seven Last Words, a choral and orchestral work by Joseph Haydn.
A few years later, Don and family moved east for Don to earn a master’s degree in choral conducting at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. During graduate school, he sang Handel’s Messiah at Carnegie Hall, with Leonard Bernstein conducting.
Then, Don and family moved home to Kidron again-this time to stay. He rejoined L.E. Sommer & Sons, Inc., a four-generation agricultural business. Don was well-loved and respected by the local farming and business community. Always, he strove to run the business with integrity and compassion.
At the same time, Don was Kidron Mennonite Church’s founding Minister of Music, a role he cherished and held for years. He shared his musical gifts with the community in many other ways, too, including by conducting Handel’s Messiah annually, teaching music at Central Christian High School, singing tenor for 25 years in the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, and helping to orchestrate Laurelville Mennonite Camp’s summer family music week. He had the privilege to collaborate with composer Alice Parker on numerous projects.
To these many professional and artistic endeavors, Don brought the fundamental kindness and gentleness of spirit that made him who he was.
After Barbara’s passing in 1988, Don found love again and married Linda Zuercher. Together, they enjoyed a life full of family, travel, and-of course-music. Don’s family grew to include Linda’s loving family. He and Linda enjoyed gardening at their Kidron condo before moving to Danbury Senior Living last year.
Don is survived by his wife of 37 years, Linda Sommer; children Hugh Sommer, Lynn Sommer (Scott Weaver), and Kristen Sommer Benjamin (Evan Benjamin); grandchildren Rachel Sommer (Matthew Sware), Hans Weaver (Vanessa Hofer), Ari Benjamin (Kate Dildy), and Rose Benjamin (Julian Kraus-Polk); great-grandchildren Rhoda Sware, Thea Weaver, and Greta Weaver; sisters Carol Yoder and Ann Troyer and sister-in-law Carol (Fred) Brubaker. He is preceded in death by his wife and the mother of his children, Barbara Brubaker Sommer (d. 1988), and by his son, Jon Sommer (d. 2024).
A memorial service celebrating Don’s life will be held on March 28 at 11:00 a.m. at Salem Mennonite Church, 3363 Zuercher Road, Dalton, OH 44618. Friends and family my call upon the Sommer family during and after the fellowship meal.
In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting the music program at Central Christian School or the Kidron Community Historical Society. Checks can be written to CCS P.O. Box 9 Kidron, OH 44636 or contributions can be made online at www.ccscomets.org/support (designate music program). Kidron Community Historical Society: Make checks in memory of Don Sommer payable to KCHS P.O. Box 234 Kidron, OH 44636.
