Donald W. Creighton Was Dedicated Police Officer

Donald William Creighton, the husband of Anna Marie D'Addarie, died on Sunday, May 28, at Martha's Vineyard Community Hospital after a three-year battle with leukemia.

Don was born in Philadelphia, Pa., on April 28, 1945. He attended St. Bernard grade school in the Mayfair section of the city from 1951 to 1959, and was graduated from Father Judge High School in 1963.

Don enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1964. He served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966 with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Infantry). For the rest of his life he remained especially proud to have served his country.

He was discharged in 1967, and soon started to work for Eaton, Yale and Towne in Philadelphia. After graduating from the Pennsylvania State Police Municipal Academy in 1972, he was hired by the Upper Moreland police department where he worked as a police officer until 1998.

His sons, Matt and Kevin, remember Don as being devoted to his work as a policeman and his responsibilities as a father. His favorite books and movies revolved around crime-solving, and he was a dedicated John Wayne fan. The boys grew up thinking that police work was the only work; they are both now Pennsylvania state troopers.

Don was also the principal cook in the household, and the boys remember teasing him about hockey pucks disguised as pork chops. On the bag lunches he made for them during grade school, Don would retaliate by writing disgusting (and inaccurate) descriptions of the contents.

When word spread among his former colleagues at the Upper Moreland police department that Don's illness had progressed to a grave stage this spring, many took up a pen or a keyboard to write to him. They all remembered him fondly as a great person to work with, and some recalled particularly amusing or hair-raising moments in the line of duty. They also pointed out how professional he was; how reliable he was in a tense situation; how generous he was in mentoring younger officers; how well-turned-out he was in uniform; and what a lively sense of humor he had.

Don and Anna Marie spent the winter of 1998 and 1999 on the Vineyard, to get a full taste of Island living. They moved here permanently in 2001, and in short order Don started working as a patrolman for the West Tisbury police department. He served until late 2004, when his failing health forced him to retire once again. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Don was assigned to the Martha's Vineyard Airport as part of an increased security detail.

Sgt. Dan Rossi, a colleague on the West Tisbury police force, remembers Don as being great to work with. Mr. Rossi said Don was quick to share his 26 years of experience in law enforcement, and he treated everyone on the force equally.

In his free time on the Island, Don loved to fish, particularly on the jetty at Eastville and at the Little Bridge opening to Sengekontacket Pond. But here, as in the Poconos, the fish did not have much to fear from his efforts, apparently.

Don had an uncanny connection to animals - not just pets like his most recent housecat, Hop-a-long, but wild animals as well. Anna Marie called him St. Francis at times. Perhaps it was this affinity with wild creatures that led to his limited success as a fisherman: how could he kill something he loved so much?

Don and Anna Marie took up ballroom dancing after moving to the Island. Since ballrooms are in short supply here, they had to make their own. Every Sunday they took a twirl or two around their living room, usually to Nat King Cole's That Sunday, That Summer.

Don's resilience during the long, debilitating illness inspired many who knew him.

Dorothy Bangs, who runs the American Cancer Society's Daffodil Days program on the Vineyard, remembers Don as a selfless volunteer who never told her he had cancer until he was too weak to help out last year.

Even as Don's illness advanced over the past year and he weakened dramatically, he was determined to pursue two lifelong dreams. One was to take a car trip with no destination in mind; he and Anna Marie made it to Mount Airy, N.C., the model for television's the Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. And last fall, he got the chance to see Jimmy Buffett in concert - in Las Vegas, Nev., no less.

Don's 61st birthday was celebrated with a party at Grace Episcopal Church, where friends gathered after the Sunday services on April 30. Don was overwhelmed by the number of people who turned out and a little embarrassed by all the attention. He cherished all the cards and notes he received. Special among them was a bagful of gifts from Scotland given by Lee Fierro, items she picked up on her recent trip. Lee knew Don always wanted to visit Scotland.

Anna Marie and Don's family would like to recognize and thank those who treated Don through his illness for their dedication and compassion, particularly the emergency room personnel, acute care nurses and lab technicians at Martha's Vineyard Community Hospital; the staff at Leslie's Pharmacy; and the bone marrow and stem cell transplant teams at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Don is survived by his wife, Anna Marie D'Addarie of Vineyard Haven; his mother, Dorothy G. Makem of Southampton, N.J.; his sons, D. Matthew Creighton of Cochranville, Pa., and his son, Colin, and Kevin Creighton and his wife, Patti Chern, of Kirkwood, Pa., and their son, Thomas; his brother, James G. Creighton, and his wife, Maryann, of Doylestown, Pa., and his stepdaughter Leigh Ann Parente and her husband, Michael Chalfant, of Philadelphia.

Don was predeceased by his father, James Creighton.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 3, at 11 a.m. at Grace Episcopal Church in Vineyard Haven. A reception will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, a donation in Don's memory may be made to the Martha's Vineyard Cancer Support Group, P.O. Box 2214, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 or Grace Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 1197, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.