RIP Mr. Don Hymel aka HatterDon

I’m in a state of disbelief, but the news of Don’s aka HatterDon’s passing on his FB page and other Fulham related sites confirms the worst.

Hard to put into words this very moment, but even tho we’ve never met, he was a man I consider a longtime friend and have been blessed to have had a running conversation of over 15+ years with. I’ll have a lot more to say, but for now wishing to send out deepest condolences to his lovely wife MaryLou aka HatterMom and Godspeed Sir, you will be truly missed.

 

I got word of this earlier today and was waiting to see some confirmation on Facebook or an obituary. I was hoping it wasn't true, but sadly it is.

Without a doubt Don was the most knowledgeable person in this forum. He was great at getting a discussion going and always added insight with his posts. It was a badge of honor if he "liked" a post because you knew he had given what you said thought and attention. This forum was made so much better by his presence and he will be greatly missed.

His friends and family must be heartbroken after this loss because if he made such an impression through the limited confines of an internet forum imagine what he must have been like in person! I hope that they will all cherish the times that they had with him and support each other through this difficult time.

 

DON AND ME. Or me and Don. Don't remember who came up with this... My guess is Franek. Or Tom Or Mike...
Anyway I feel the need to write a remembrance.
But I am just a little gutted

 

Devastated.

 

I thought I misread the title but unfortunately it seems to be true. I have not posted on here a ton of late but I really appreciated HD's comments and thoughts over the years. Given I live in Houston, I was hoping at some point to meet him in person. RIP Sir.

 

Such horrible news. My experience is like many others here, I'd imagine. I never met Don, but he was instrumental in my Fulham experience for the last 15 years. I was lucky to find this community back then, warm and welcoming, bringing together people of all walks of life bonded together by the shared love of a small football club an ocean away. And Don was our sage, the kind, wise voice who always seemed to have the deepest knowledge, sharpest insight, and the ability to bring the needed levity and humor any situation. It's hard to imagine this place without him. It's not this place without him.

My deepest condolences to his family and his friends. As Micah said, if he made this kind of impact on a group that only knew him through keystrokes on an online forum, he must have been a force to reckon with in person.

 

I read this today and like others I am surprised and saddened at the news. Hatter was a treasure. He made me smile and he made me think. I can only be thankful to have had the pleasure of interacting with him here! RIP Hatter.

 

Wow. Absolutely shocked to read this. RIP.

 

I saw a post on Facebook, which I’m almost never on. After reading some of those messages and those here, I realize just how lucky I am to have met HD in the flesh. I was outside of SA for a conference and HD and AggieMatt both drove up. We had a couple of pints and hours of chatting and laughing. The bar had trivia night and while we didn’t win, it was a blast to play with the “legend.” His private messages were always so positive and I’ve learned so much about the game from his posts and chats. I’m in a bit of shock, but I do know that I will have a few tears when FFC and Luton share the pitch this fall. RIP HD!

 

As of this posting there is no obituary at this link, but here is the page for Don and the funeral home handling his services scheduled for June 10:
https://www.missionparks.com/obituaries/Donald-Hymel/#!/TributeWall

 

I have never felt this sad to hear about the passing of someone that I never met.

You will be sorely missed @HatterDon

 

RIP Don. I hope he had the opportunity to celebrate Luton Town's promotion.

 

I had the pleasure to meet him twice, along with his lovely HatterMom, and he was exactly the same person as you'd imagine him to be from his posts. Our first meeting took place at a pub for a 7am match start time...the other meeting was at the site of a former brothel (there's an old thread around here on the subject...). Perfect locations for FulhamUSA meetups. Aside from jousting with Petty and 'Mo in this sandbox, he was a soccer lovin', church-goin', guitar-playin' vet, but importantly he was genuine and fun - being fun is a lost art. That's a pretty unique collection of activities and traits...and that's why he'll be sorely missed. I echo the other posts expressing fond remembrances and grief, and my heart-heavy condolences to HatterMom and their family.

 

Don's Obituary:

Don Hymel was born in El Paso, TX, the youngest son of Beth and Eddie Hymel. Soon after high school graduation in 1964, he enlisted in the USAF. In 20 years of service, he spent time in Alaska, England, Texas, Vietnam, Crete, and Maryland. He and Mary Lou met in England and married in San Antonio in 1977. Don retired from the Air Force in 1984 and followed Mary Lou to Germany, Virginia, and back to England as a dependent husband. He earned a BA in History and an MS in Political Science. In San Antonio, Don began a second career in education publishing. He worked in community theater for many years. He also played music in bands and as a solo act until his death. He wrote songs, poetry, plays, and short stories. Don volunteered with Owl Radio, reading the newspaper for the visually impaired. He never met a stranger. He was always willing to help young artists who needed an actor. He loved sports, playing baseball and softball and soccer and tennis. Don and Mary Lou had many adventures together and lived life to the fullest!

 

In the early days of my fandom I'm not sure I would have remained a Fulham fan had it not been for Don. He instantly welcomed anyone into the fold of this website and community. He appeared on my old Fulham "podcast" I first recorded at my college radio station studio without fuss. He'd comment on my blogspot and then Craven Cottage Newsround with insight and anecdotes. He'd share stories about living in Maryland and rooting for the Orioles at old Memorial Stadium. But he did it all in such an avuncular way that connected with you and felt like you knew him your whole life.

I'm sad I never met him (as a ruptured appendix scuppered plans to visit SA many years ago...) but I'm glad I got to know him. You'll be missed, HD.

 

Thanks, Heather!
Also, thanks for serving us by tending the site for long. And on that subject....
After getting FulhamUSA up and running Mike and Tom both found real life interfered so I agreed to take over some day to day duties handling content.
I think the best of my ideas was to convince Don to do match reviews for the Front Page. He was a little reluctant but I engaged Tom to help convince him and View from South Texas was born.
The other highlight of my editorial stint was to publish Franek's Beers with Eric Wynalda which, after all, got us our fifteen minutes of notoriety on SportsCenter.
But it was Don's contributions in his match analyses and commentary as a senior Footy wonk that kept us a group.

 

I've been in and out of many things I normally tended to for a while now (due to my own personal issues) so I am just now seeing and learning of this. I've never known a "virtual" soul as well as I've known Don Hymel. My only regret is that I never got a chance to meet him in the flesh. He's all of the things written here, and more. You don't have to be a Rhodes Scholar to feel that through these screens. I will miss him terribly. For me, he WAS fulhamusa.com...and always will be. RIP Hatter. You touched lives you never knew.

 

God does hath a sense of humor. I’m sure HD had to laugh at the matching Fulham, Luton 4-3 defeats v Pool & Arse..he got the 5-0 payback today at The Cottage.