Don Francis Albert passed away peacefully on September 5th, 2026, after a brief illness, with his family surrounding him.

Don is survived by his wife Marilyn of 64 years, children Ryan and wife Dani Albert of Walsh Colorado, Staci and husband Vic Doyle of Two Buttes Colorado. He is preceded in death by his parents Don and Elizabeth Albert of Oakwood, Illinois.

Don Francis Albert was born on December 8th, 1940 to Don Henry Albert and Frances Elizabeth Vincent Albert. He was born in Danville, Illinois and grew up in Oakwood, Illinois with his older brother Alan, sister Jane and younger brother Jon. He graduated from Lamar Community College (LCC) in 1962 with an Associates Degree in Agriculture. While attending LCC he met his future bride, the love of his life, Marilyn Ann Rader. They were married on June 17th, 1962 in Walsh Colorado.

Don found great joy in the ranching way of life. He worked on numerous ranches from Colorado to New Mexico while also shoeing horses. In 1964, Don and Marilyn decided to move to Amarillo, Texas as Don was going to further his education at West Texas State University. In 1965, while he was earning his Bachelors Degree in Ag Business, Don and Marilyn welcomed their first child Ryan Lane Albert. To support his family Don shod horses around the surrounding area. In 1968, Don and Marilyn completed their family with their daughter Staci Dawn Albert.

In 1970, Don loaded up his family and moved to Walsh. Don continued his love for the cowboy way of life through day working, running wheat pasture cattle and shoeing horses. Due to the cattle market crash in 1974 Don began working for DeKalb Seed Company as a District Manager while still continuing to shoe horses. In 1995, he retired from DeKalb and Don then began pursuing his talent as a silversmith. He started his own business in 2002, Albert's Bits Buckle’s and Spurs. He continued building pieces for others until 2025, when he officially retired.

Family was very important to Don, his 5 grandkids and 7 great grand kids were his pride and joy. He loved sharing his admiration for horses, hunting, fishing and playing checkers with them. He taught them many life skills that they will treasure forever, but most importantly, Don taught them to be kind, patient, and loving.

A graveside service will be held for Don on September 8th, 2026 at 10:00 AM at the Minneapolis Cemetery, following will be a lunch for family and friends at the Walsh Community Building. There will be a celebration of life to commemorate Don at a later date.