Don Winkler
March 30, 1931 – October 20, 2023
by Dave Weiman
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine December 2023 Digital Issue
Father, husband, friend, pilot and aviation photojournalist, Donald (Don) P. Winkler, 92, of Madison, Wisconsin, passed away at his home October 20, 2023. He was born March 30, 1931, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Paul Winkler and Caroline (Goelz) Winkler. He graduated from Wauwatosa High School in Wisconsin, and in his youth, was a drummer in a swing band and worked as a caddy at Blue Mounds Country Club.
Don Winkler with a North American Aviation T-6 Texan trainer aircraft he flew while serving in the U.S. Air Force from 1951-55.
Don developed his love of photography working for the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel as a copy boy. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951-1955 during the Korean War. After Don was discharged from the service, he moved to Madison and became an air traffic controller with the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) at Truax Field (now Dane County Regional Airport).
A natural salesman and leader, Don worked at Sears department store in both sales and management until his retirement in 1993. It was in retirement that Don finally found his dream job in public affairs and photojournalism at Wisconsin Aviation. There, Don introduced children to aviation by taking them on tours of the airport, air traffic control tower, and fixed base operation, just as he did with his own children as they were growing up.
On October 26, 1990, Don married Carol (Tormey) Winkler, and they lived in Madison – near the airport, of course!
When not at the airport, Don operated a photography business called “Air Vue.” He was a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, Wisconsin Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, and Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame (he was inducted in 2018). Don was the recipient of the “Carl E. Guell Aviation Education Award,” sponsored by the Wisconsin DOT Bureau of Aeronautics, for his work with children in aviation education, tours of the airport, and promoting aviation careers. Additionally, Don is the recipient of the Wisconsin Airport Management Association (WAMA) Lifetime Service Award for dedicated service to the aviation community.
(L/R) Don Winkler and Dave Weiman enjoying the February 1983 issue of Midwest Flyer Magazine featuring a Piper Aerostar 700P. In 1983, the Aerostar was the fastest growing production twin-engine piston aircraft in the world. Midwest Flyer Magazine Photo
Don’s greatest love was for his family. He was always a source of supportive wisdom, encouragement, and unconditional love. He would keep in touch with everyone in his family, if not in person, via text and video chat. Never one to sit still, when not taking photos for Wisconsin Aviation or Midwest Flyer Magazine, Don posted stories on his personal blog “Another Vue.”
Don was a special friend to all who had the pleasure of knowing him and was always there if we needed help with the magazine. Likewise, we like to think we were always there for him.
I first met Don at a Civil Air Patrol meeting at Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport in 1979. Not a bit bashful, Don came up to me, introduced himself, and offered his assistance as a photographer.
In 1983, Don accompanied me when I had the pleasure of hosting Bill Lear’s widow, Moya Lear, of Lear Jet and Lear Fan corporations, as the guest speaker for the Wisconsin Aviation Trades Association (WATA) Convention at the Pioneer Inn on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Thanks to EAA Founder Paul Poberezny, who graciously gave Moya a personal tour of the museum, Don and I chauffeured her around town in one of EAA’s limos, a limo once used by Vice President Spiro Agnew. In a letter to me, Don recalled the occasion: “She autographed a picture of the Lear Fan as we talked about Bill and her CAP days, and about her father’s comedy team, Olson and Johnson. They (Bill and Moya Lear) knew my friend Johansson, the world renown harpsichord player.”
On another occasion Wisconsin Aviation hosted the B-17 Flying Fortress used in the motion picture “Memphis Belle” (1990), and Don introduced me to the pilot of the original Memphis Belle, Maj. Robert Morgan.
Don Winkler with the U.S. Air Force Reserve KC-135 Stratotanker he rode on as a member of the press. Midwest Flyer Magazine Photo by Dave Weiman
In 2002, as members of the press, Don and I were invited to fly on a U.S. Air Force Reserve KC-135 Stratotanker on a refueling mission out of Volk Field Air National Guard Base at Camp Douglas, Wisconsin. Don enjoyed taking photos of the F-16s as they flew up to the tail of the aircraft to refuel. On the way back to Madison, Don remarked that it was a great day and a wonderful experience, and I would have to agree.
And of course, who could forget Don’s participation at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, especially the staff at EAA press headquarters. Don was able to get more press privileges than his publisher, a memory Don took great pleasure in reminding me each year.
Don Winkler (center) with friends following brunch on July 31, 2023, at the “Jet Room” restaurant in the Wisconsin Aviation terminal, Dane County Regional Airport, Madison, Wisconsin.
More recently, Don enjoyed getting together with a few of his old friends at the “Jet Room” restaurant in the Wisconsin Aviation terminal at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison.
It wasn’t the people Don met, but the people Don helped over the years that meant the most to him. I will especially remember Don often making a point of telling his family and friends that he loved them, something we should all do more often.
Don is survived by his wife, Carol; daughters, Jo Anne (Dale) Winkler-Bley, Kathi (Bob) O’Brien and Lisa (Adam) Gagas; sons, Jeff (Brenda) Winkler, Bob (Pam) Winkler, Greg (Korrine) Winkler, and Jeff (Christi) Simpson; granddaughters, Sarah Taplin, Lyndsey Bley, Nikki Winkler, Emma O’Brien, Noelle Timm, Courtney Gagas and Claire Gagas; grandsons, Zachary Winkler and Ben O’Brien; great-grandchildren, Cora and Archer Taplin; Tobias, Sophia and Stella Timm; and nephew, Scott Winkler. Don was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Paul (Jean) Winkler; and niece, Michelle Winkler.
Memorials may be made to the Carl E. Guell Memorial Scholarship for the education of young pilots, c/o Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame Scholarship Fund
(https://www.wahf.org/scholarships/), or to Agrace Hospice Care (https://www.agrace.org/donate/).
Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.
