Tribute

Wichita, KS: Donald Lindy Bohlken, 94, made his transition August 20, 2024, in the Presbyterian Manor apartment that he shared with his wife Shelia Pilger. He was born on a farm near Center Junction, IA, the fifth child of Fred Henry Bohlken and Grace Mae (Starks) Bohlken. By kindergarten the family had moved to Monticello IA. He continued school in the same building until he graduated from High School in 1947. After a marketing degree from the University of Iowa he served four years in the United States Air Force, during the Korean War. Don left graduate school to join IBM in Minneapolis, MN. During the fast and furious early days of IBM he moved seven times in ten years and left to join M.A.I. as a marketing manager in Chicago. A year later he and three other “ex-IBMers” founded Data and Information Products Inc. He served as president until merging with Applied Data Research in Princeton, NJ. Don declined to move East and instead joined Shade Information Systems in Green Bay and became a lifelong Packer fan. In 1975 he resigned as Vice President and moved to Chicago for a short stint in the restaurant business. After a couple Midwest winters, he decided that he was in the wrong place and moved to Arizona. He got a real estate license because he thought everyone else had one. Then he met and married his soul mate Shelia Pilger and they became members of Unity Church of Mesa. Together they established and ran a successful Century-21 real estate franchise. Don enjoyed being a designated broker and serving on the Arizona Association of Realtors Board and various committees. He graduated from the Mesa Senior Police Academy. He appreciated classes and discussion groups through Mesa Community College. As a member of IANDS (International Association of Near Death Studies) he was comforted by the accounts of near-death experiences that were shared. After selling the real estate company, they had more time to travel the Western United States in their little 19’ Roadtrek RV. They also enjoyed exploring other cultures on cruises and touring Central America. After the isolation of COVID, in 2022 he and Shelia moved to Wichita Presbyterian Manor where he was adopted and loved by the Pilger branch of the family. Don lived joyously in the present and encouraged the rest of us to do likewise. He was generous in death as he was in life, by donating his body to Science Care, an organization that provides tissue and organs for research and education.

Friends & Family

He was preceded in death by his parents, older siblings and their spouses; Harrison (Ella) Bohlken, Deloris Bohlken (Clifford) Egger, Fred (Violet) Bohlken, and Arthur Bohlken, and Son in Law, Brian F. Coffey. He is survived by His wife Shelia Pilger, Daughter Elizabeth Bohlken Coffey, grandchildren Samuel Francis Coffey and Rose Catherine Coffey Gloucester, MA. sister-in-law Donna (McCurdy) Bohlken Milwaukee, WI and brother Paul (Diane Lake Troester) Bohlken of Marion, IA and a bunch of nieces and nephews.