Donald R. Tune

Donald R. Tune was born on July 13, 1935 in St Louis, MO. He was raised by his mother Grace. Don’s youth played out across a number of small communities in SE MO, where he gained notoriety as a talented basketball and baseball player. Following high school, he joined the Air Force where he served for 3.5 years, including time overseas in Japan.

Don adored his family above all else. He met the love of his life, Sandra Nuss at SE MO State University in 1958, and they were married in August of 1961. Don is survived by Sandy, their two children, and his sister. Their daughter Tara lives with her husband Jos in Amsterdam, Holland, and their son Jason lives in Oak Park, IL with his wife Patti and their daughter Skai, who is a Sophomore at the University of IL. Don’s beloved sister, Kathy, a retired school teacher, lives in Jackson MO with her husband Tom.

Don’s career in coaching and education took him to numerous places including Flint, MI; Joliet, IL; Cedar Rapids, IA; and twice in Freeport, IL. Don retired as the Athletic Director and head Men’s Basketball Coach at Highland Community College. Don had a number of significant coaching accomplishments including many Conference Championships, as well as an extremely rare undefeated season while at Coe College. Don also had a passion for the game of tennis and instructed several local players, including his daughter Tara and his son Jason, who played tennis and basketball at DePaul University.

Don was an avid golfer, and for years he enjoyed playing rounds at Park Hills with Sandy. He was also a life-long St. Louis Cardinals fan and often spoke of the past Cardinal “greats” such as Marty Marion and his all-time favorite Stan Musial. Summer vacations for Don and his family were often in northern WI or western U.S. National Parks; and in retirement, Don and Sandy had many adventures traveling to Alaska and other beautiful locations with birding binoculars in hand. But Don’s favorite place in the world was at Don and Sandy’s second home in SE MO near the small town of Fredericktown. It was a modest ranch down a dirt road on a crystal clear, fast moving stream flowing over ancient pink granite. The Castor River is the very same river where Don spent a significant part of his boyhood living and working on a small farm. Spending time with Sandy and family members at the “Castor River House” brought Don immeasurable joy.

There will be a visitation from 10am-12pm on Saturday, May 30, 2026 at Walker Mortuary. At 12pm there will be a semi-formal sharing of Coach Tune stories with each other. Immediately following everything at Walker Mortuary, there will be a reception held at the Wagner House with light appetizers and drinks that will begin at approximately 1:30pm.