Donald P. Sundeen

His life-long love of rock and roll began early. Don was a regular emcee/disc jockey at Jamestown High School sock hops. He attended Ithaca College and served in the U.S. Air Force as an air traffic controller before joining KELP radio in El Paso as a disc jockey. His love of rock and roll led to a successful stint as program director for a Houston radio station, followed by positions in recording-artist promotion for major record labels in Los Angeles. In 1972, he moved to Dallas as a regional record promotion director, later forming Sunbuckle, an independent promotion firm, with partner Lee Arbuckle.

In the early 1980s, Don left the recording industry to become a marketing executive for a leading Dallas commercial music company, and in 1990, he started Don Sundeen Enterprises, a marketing firm for commercial film production entities.

After retiring, Don turned back to his disc jockey roots as a volunteer for North Texas Radio for the Blind. Partnering with Ira Lipson, the on-air duo amused and informed visually impaired subscribers with their weekly show and award-winning holiday specials. In recent years, Don became an internet personality, blogging about his favorite subject, rock and roll. His posts can be seen at TheDonRocks.com.

Don died of a sudden heart attack on June 22, 2019. He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul William Sundeen and Kathryn Morgan Sundeen.

He is survived by his wife, Poppy; daughter, Jacqui Kramer; son-in-law, Dave Kramer; grandson, Xander; son, Richter; sister, Linda Johnson; as well as nieces, nephews and friends around the world.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 30, at the Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home, 7405 W. Northwest Hwy., in Dallas. Memorial donations may be made to 29 Pieces at 29Pieces.org or to the American Heart Association.