Farewell, Commander

I'm sad to report that our VFW post Commander Donnie Hermes has died.  He was 72 years old.  Donnie fought a courageous battle against cancer for the past year and a half.  He retired from the Louisville Fire Department after serving for 30 years, and was a proud veteran.  He loved his family, his country, and his VFW post. 

Donnie and his wife Jan, our previous Auxiliary President, were the first two friends that my family and I made when we joined the post.  They welcomed us with open arms, literally; I don't guess we ever saw them when they didn't give us a hug.  She is diabetic, and Mom and Dad would often make "his and hers" cakes for them - hers with Splenda and his with good ole sugar.  He got the biggest kick out of the fact that he and Dad were excellent bakers; there will never be another pineapple upside down cake like Donnie made. 

One my favorite memories of Commander Donnie is of a phrase he would say.  In the canteen at the post, when someone was ready to leave and started saying their goodbyes to everybody there, Donnie would always say "Awww, let's have one more then we'll all go."  Yep, one more then we'll all go.