Donald "Don" John Strecker, 62, of Columbus, Nebraska, died Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at his home in Columbus.

Mass of Christian Burial will be on Tuesday, April 22 at 10:30 AM, at St. Anthony Church with Father Patrick Harrison celebrating the Mass.  Interment will be in All Saints Catholic Cemetery.  Visitation will begin on Monday at 4:00 PM with a 7:00 PM Vigil Service and continue Tuesday from 9:30 AM until service time all at the church.    Memorials are suggested to St. Anthony Church, Columbus Cancer Center, or the area high school athletic department of the donor's choice.  The service will be broadcast live on Gass Haney Funeral Home Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057043736890 .

Don was born December 30, 1962, in Falls City, Nebraska, to the late Joseph and Dorothy (Schulenberg) Strecker. The family lived in Rulo prior to moving to a farmhouse in Preston where Don attended Preston Elementary School from K-4. They then moved to Falls City where Don attended and graduated from Falls City Sacred Heart, where he was a three-sport athlete, in 1981.

He attended Peru State College from 1981-1986 on a track and field/cross country scholarship where he earned degrees in Journalism and Language Arts Education with a coaching endorsement. He lettered in Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track all four years of competing while also serving on the stat crew and doing PA work for Peru State Athletics. He also began working as a color commentator with Randy Gottula at Auburn High School football games.  After graduating from Peru State, he taught English and coached a multitude of sports for two years at St. Paul (NE) High School, and four years at St. Edward High School.

He married Kathryn (Kay) Kiesel on July 21, 1990, at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Falls City. They brought two sons into the world: Adam Lawrence (Oct. 26, 1994) and Matthew Joseph (Sept. 14, 1999).

Aside from spending 25 years working in the newsroom at newspapers (1.5 years at Wahoo Newspaper as the sports editor and 23.5 years at the Columbus Telegram as a sportswriter, sports editor, and copy editor), Don spent his time broadcasting area high school sports on the radio. He began in the fall of 2004, and after just over 20 years he called 1,418 games on the air (607 volleyball, 64 football, 43 soccer, 45 baseball, 659 basketball) along with covering 28 state track meets.

Don passed down his love of sports to his children; one of his greatest loves was watching his sons compete in sports. More recently he enjoyed watching his sons excel in their sports-related careers.

Don was a man of unwavering faith and shared his talents with the church in numerous ways. He was a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, held numerous council and assembly offices, and was District Deputy for District #19 for several years.

Don is survived by his wife Kay, sons Adam (Sara) and Matthew, and three siblings Dan (Sharon), Dennis (Reta), and Barb (Tom) Carpenter.

Don was preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Dorothy, brother-in-law Donald Schwang, and nephew Lonnie Schwang.