Donald R. Null

Donald R. Null, 97, of O'Hara Township, passed away peacefully on January 1, 2023, surrounded by family and his minister. Born in Pittsburgh on July 23, 1925, Don was the son of the late Alice (Burchfield) and Joseph A. Null. He is survived by his wife Avon (Hastings), daughter Laurie Gardonis, stepchildren David Hastings (Katherine), and Suzanne Bower (Lemuel), grandchildren Heather Hastings, Hannah Hastings, David Bower and Madeline Bower. Don, born July 23, 1925, volunteered for the U.S. Army at 18. He served as a sharpshooter, light machine gunner and videographer. During his service in the European theatre, Don was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds received on Christmas Eve 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge in Luxemburg's Ardennes forest. Additionally he received three Bronze Stars and other medals in recognition of his service. Using the videography skills he learned during his service, Don became a filmmaker and, eventually, a television mobile cameraman. Don was hired as a "lens man" to document the 6000-mile voyage of the Thane, a ketch bound from Tahiti to Panama. The journey provided numerous memories, from flying fish landing on the deck to sighting Easter Island for a greatly desired landfall. Finally after four months, which included a near brush with a typhoon that left the crew glued to the wheel, the Thane arrived in Panama. Following the voyage, Don was quoted in the Pittsburgh Press, "Just say I am forever, I mean forever, a landlubber." After his adventurous voyage, Don joined the flagship station KDKA in 1966 as a mobile cameraman. In those early days before the advent of digital photography and satellite communications, a cameraman's job involved dashing around the city from story to story and getting back to the KDKA studios downtown in time for broadcast. His job demands led to a unique style of driving that left his family somewhat hesitant to ride with him, whether on a leisurely drive to the market or out to country to admire the fall foliage. He enjoyed his work covering the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins during the heydays of the 1970s and 1980s when Pittsburgh was known as the "City of Champions." Don retired from KDKA in 1990 and began a new chapter in his life. Don profoundly effected his daughter, stepchildren and countless others, instilling a deep and lasting appreciation for the natural world via his passion for hunting and fishing. He had many friends spread across his numerous interests. He loved outdoor sports and had a keen interest in American rail travel, the golden age of steam engines and model railroading, as well as the developing science of video and audio recording. Don left the world a better place through his life and those he touched. He possessed a genuine love for friends and family that never wavered and for which we are forever grateful. He will be remembered long and lovingly. Don was a member of Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church along with his loving wife, Avon. Services will be held Friday, January 13, at 11:00 a.m. Internment will follow at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies at 2:30 p.m. Donations, in lieu of flowers, may to be made to: www.brothersbrothers.org or www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

Donald R. Null

July 23, 1925 - January 1, 2023