Don was born in Illinois, on the South Side of Chicago. When he was in elementary school his family moved to Western PA. He graduated from Hope College with a major in Sociology and a minor in Psychology. After graduation, he went to seminary at New Brunswick Theological Seminary and Western Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. He was ordained in the Reformed Church in America, a denomination very similar to the Presbyterian church. He served as Pastor at churches in North Jersey, upstate New York, and 2 churches in the Philadelphia area. He has a son, daughter and a stepson. He and his wife, Wendy, live in Montgomery Township, PA. They have been blessed with 3 grandsons and a granddaughter.