Donald Ray Brandon

Donald Ray Brandon, 82, of Herrin, died Sunday, May 3, 2026, at home after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis.

Don was born January 28, 1944, to Clyde and Mabel (Brown) Brandon and grew up just west of Herrin.

A proud country kid, Don graduated from Sunnyside Grade School in 1958 and from Herrin Township High School in 1962.

He attended Southern Illinois University on an education scholarship and began his professional career in 1966 as a sixth-grade teacher and boys basketball coach at Winkler Elementary School in Carbondale. Don taught three years at Winkler and one year at Lewis Elementary, also in Carbondale, and he earned his master’s degree in elementary education in 1968.

Don married his high school sweetheart, Catherine Conti, on December 30, 1967. They marked their 58th anniversary this past year.

In 1970, Don and Cathy moved north so he could attend night school at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Both taught in Mannheim District 83, with Don assigned to sixth grade at Roy School in Northlake.

In 1976, the couple and their two young children moved back to Herrin, where Don began his legal career as an associate of David Craig. He and Craig later formed a partnership with Paul Murphy. In 1986, Don started his own practice, retiring in 2014 at the age of 70.

Don loved baseball and rooted for the St. Louis Cardinals virtually his entire life – except  for 1956, the year the team traded his beloved Red Schoendienst. Don’s other passion was marbles. From agates to German swirls to sulfides, he amassed a collection numbering in the thousands.

Also a talented writer, Don penned scores of short stories based on his childhood and starring his alter-ego, Doobie Brown.

Don was a former member of the Herrin Rotary Club, the Herrin Hospital Auxiliary and the Herrin Area Historical Society.  

In additional to his wife, Don is survived by a daughter, Michelle (Neil) Holdway of Schaumburg; a son, Patrick (Stephanie Moore) Brandon of Webster Groves, Mo.; a granddaughter, Helena Brandon of Webster Groves; a brother, John (Sheryl) Brandon of Springfield; a sister, Ruth Ellen (Tim) Fross of Belleville; and several nieces and nephews.

Don was one of 50 grandchildren on his father’s side, and he was particularly close to his cousins Arthur Brandon of Mulkeytown and the Rev. Ralph Brandon of Carterville.

Don was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Clyde Eugene and Carl Edward Brandon; and a sister, Mary Louise Brandon.

Visitation for Don will start at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Johnson-Hughes Funeral Home in Herrin ahead of an 11 a.m. service led by the Rev. Ralph Brandon.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Don’s honor to the Friends of the Herrin City Library or to Hospice of Southern Illinois.

Johnson-Hughes Funeral Home in Herrin is honored to serve the family.  To leave an online condolence, please visit www.johnsonhughes.com or call 618-942-3102 for more information.

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