Don M. Prothe

Don Merle Prothe was born August 27, 1959 at the Miami County Hospital, Paola, Kansas. He was the second son of Vernon Edward and Donna Lou (Cole) Prothe. After many years of serious illnesses he was at peace and taken by God to be with his many loved ones in heaven. He passed away at Delmar Gardens in Overland Park, Kansas, Friday morning, November 5, 2021. Visiation 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 10, 2021 followed by the funeral service at 2:00 p.m., both at Block Trinity Lutheran Church. Burial will be in the Paola Cemetery. Memorials are to the Block Lutheran Church. Don was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas. He graduated from Paola High School in 1977. His senior year in high school he was voted the friendliest of his class. His great love was being a left-handed baseball pitcher and hitting home runs in Paola's Little League, Babe Ruth, and American Legion Baseball programs. He was always so proud and enjoyed the baseball trophies he received and his homerun baseball collection. He attended Allen County Community College on a baseball scholarship and also attended KU for two semesters. He was a member of Twin Valley 4-H Club. Don always enjoyed the Miami County Fair showing his champion crossbreed steers and cooking projects. He worked for Murray TV, Lakemary, and Price Chopper in Paola. Don also enjoyed being an insurance salesman and working as a security guard at Linn Valley Lakes. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents Mike and Helen (Edwards) Cole of Lane, paternal grandparents Edward and Manda (Minden) Prothe of Paola, and his niece Paige Alexandria Prothe of Lawrence. One of his proudest possessions is a picture of him taken with his four grandparents, four maternal grandparents and one paternal great-grandmother. He is survived by his parents Vernon and Donna Lou (Cole) Prothe, Paola; brother Darryl Prothe (Gloria), Lawrence; brother Eric Prothe (Donna), Spokane, WA; nephews Chris Prothe (Olivia), Parker, CO and Kyle Prothe (Alexia) Spokane, WA; nieces Caitlin Prothe and Michaela Prothe both of Rio Vista, CA; great niece Emma Cole Prothe, Parker, CO; and many uncles, aunts, and cousins. Family and friends are encouraged to post their condolences and memories on Don's tribute wall. Livestreaming of Don's service on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. will be on Trinity Lutheran Church Facebook page (www.facebook.com/trinitylutheranblock). It will also be later uploaded to You Tube (www.trinitylcms.org/videos).