Visitation for Donald Lusk will be held at the Clinton Funeral Home, 21 Parrott Street in Cold Spring, on Wednesday August 18, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 p.m. The service will take place at the funeral home at 10:00 am Thursday, August 19. A wake will be held at the caretaker’s house at Little Stony Point beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, August 19. Family and friends of Donald are welcome
Cold Spring resident Donald Lusk, age 50, was found dead at his home at 13 Main Street on Friday afternoon, August 13. A long-time village resident, he was well known by many. Many rememberances can be found in the comments to this article and on our Letters/Opinions page.
Donald was our local gadfly. Passionate and loudmouthed he alienated, but we did love him. A advocate for free speech and rock and roll, Lusk was a true character. We shall miss his lively presence in our community. Share your best blessings with his family!
If he was your friend, he would give you the shirt off his back but if you were his enemy, you had very few good nights sleep! He always wanted to “fight the powers” but in his own way, he was his own worst enemy! He led a hard and difficult life, mostly by his own hand and no matter how much ANY of us tried to help him change his path of destruction, he only did it “his way” and it eventually caught up with him. I met Donald in 1992 when I moved to Cold Spring and even though we came from two different worlds, our friendship took off. Being in the security end of the music business, I introduced him to some of his Rock and Roll heroes from the 60’s and 70’s and for a while it seemed to bring him back to life and until the last time I saw him, he never let me forget how much he appreciated that. But the pressures of his life finally got the best of him and his pain and suffering has finally ended. Donald, you may be in God’s hands now but your spirit will live forever in the hearts of ALL of us that knew and loved you. The Cold Spring waterfront will NEVER be the same!!!
Bill Burns
Donald was a true Patriot, he always express hes opinion what was right. keep cold Spring a simple town, were we could all raise are family. than things change in the early 80s people move in and most of HAD to move out. In high school Donald went after me because i was half Spanish. When he got to know me, are friendship stay strong a life time. I will miss him. lets keep the PATRIOT spirit alive.
I went to grade school with Donald. But the times I saw him after we became adults he greeted me with a big smile and hello like he just saw me the day before. I have many fond memories of him may he rest in oeace.
HE WAS A GREAT FRIEND. I HAVE KNOWN HIM ALL MY LIFE. MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYS ARE WITH HIS FAMILY. HE WILL BE MISSED DEARLY.
After reading the above comments I am sorry that I did not get to know Donald better. I wish to express our deepest sympathy to his family. I hope they find comfort in knowing so many people have great thoughts of Donald.
Rhonda Mendola
I met Donald Lusk about 12 years ago when my wife and I visited Cold Spring. We were visiting from North Carolina and Bill Burns introduced us to Donald,Wanda and Crystal. I instantly liked Donald’s honesty and the way he would tell it like it is. He went out of his way to make our trip to Cold Spring an enjoyable experience. He spent time with us showing us around the town and the area. Cold Spring will miss Donald Lusk and so will I. May God bless and comfort his family!
I knew Donald as a kind and generous soul,whose beautiful smile & infectious laugh I loved. When Donald laughed, you couldn’t help but laugh too!
I admired Donald for the courage he showed in always staying true to himself, no matter the consequences, and regardless of the Disneyfication of Cold Spring that became his nemesis.
“On the arms of the angels, may you find your way home.”
My deepest sympathies to his family.
Dee Shaffer
May the peace that surpasses all understanding – be with Donald’s Family. Rest in Peace Brother.
I have known Donald for a long time. We Smoked, drank, listened to music,played music, laughed and cried.And I learned a lot. I moved away from CS, but when ever I stopped back to town I always heard u broke my window coming from inside his house.He would come running out and we would talk about old times and I felt 19 again. Donald was always looking for peace inside, I guess we all are. I am just sorry he never found enough.
I will miss him forever but thank him for the memory’s he left with me.
U Broke My Window
Michael Sibilia
I remember him, me, Dave and Stevie stealing lumber to build our little hut by the tracks that turned into Red Ryders house ( Red Ryder,…he’s gone too..some of you old springers will remember Red Ryder! ) Led Zeppelin, crappy pot,…..waiting to find someone to buy us beers to go down to the dock and drink. The Sloop at the dock,…stepping on a devil head,……….. a little bit of my youth died with Don.
Mike you brought back so many memories! It’s like it was yesterday! I can still see him yelling up to you in the window!
Donald was my uncle and a great protector! He was the most honest person that I have ever met. Donald always had his shield and sword up ready to fight off the evils that tried to corrupt my world, whether it was against his best friend or a total stranger. I will miss him dearly but I know one day we will meet up again, all I will have to do is listen for his great laugh and see him with his arms spread the widest they can go for the most loving hug ever. I will miss that most and look forward to that day we meet again in that Great Gig in the Sky!
Love you Uncle Donald!
Melissa Lusk Tawzer
I’ve known donald for almost my whole life and can tell endless stories. Some ones good and others not so much but they all made me who I am today. I remember playing hockey with him next to his house after school almost every day. We did all kinds of crap together right up into adulthood. Endless concerts,parties and the best were the long discussions we would get into. I remember scalping Jethro tull tickets with him back in “78” and sat 10th row center along with so many other fond memories of him. He may be gone but will not be forgotten.May you Rest in Peace and Sleep with angels my dear friend….
Well Donald, if you can read this from where ever you are, your benefit party was a blast. Bill Burns gave an impassioned speech worthy of a Cult of Personality. We played your favourites for 4 hours. Iggy’s 5’1″ with Pat O’shea on lead vocals, ‘Lusk for Life’, ‘Be Your Dog’; ‘Gimme Danger’. Lots of Stones, Beatles and other classics you dig.
At one point the dogs barked in the woods and a 5 year old said Donald’s here.
Find your peace my friend.
Karl Dushin
I met “Lusk” when I moved to Cold Spring in ’02, having heard some Lamb Lies Down-era Genesis blasting from his front porch, which was littered with protest messages spray-painted onto wooden boards. He instantly intrigued me with his adamant banter concerning local political injustices. I could sense that, although he was relatively young, he had an old heart and a strong connection to his community. I would purposely walk my dog past his home late in the evening hoping to encounter him in a blissful rage, excited to witness his colorful slant on the day’s bleak unfoldings. But his appearances soon grew scarce, and I have since felt an uncomfortable disconnect with his unique outlook on local affairs. Word of his passing shot a hole through my being, as I knew not the extent of his suffering. Unlike many, I don’t speak to the deceased, nor do I ask an invented person in the sky to grant blessings. So let me conclude by offering Donald’s family and other friends my regrets in our loss. Mourn his pain, but celebrate his life……
Donald was there from the beginning. He took me to my first concert when I was fifteen. It was YES, of course. He took me under his wing, and taught me so much during those early years. When Jan and I started dating in the 80’s, she went to study in London. She’d call me at Donald’s, knowing that is probably where I’d be. He’d yell downstairs, over all of the music and laughter, and scream, “Steve, it’s Yoko!” He always thought of us as John and Yoko (lol), and he admired us and our opinions, as we did him. He visited us as recently as early summer. He was still hilarious, just a bit more pressured and confused and almost HURT by life in general. He always spoke of his love of Wanda and Crystal, and he had unwavering support for Scottie. He was like that…unwavering, intense and passionate. If you knew him, you knew that already.
Teagle’s was wonderful, warm and had Donald written all over it. The music was perfect, and sounded great. It must have been that Donald had a hand in it. Billy Burns and others who spoke, thank you so much for sharing your stories of Donald. They were heart warming and healing. The shock is still with us, we miss him each and every day. It will take our lifetimes to ever get over this tragedy, but we do know in our hearts that Donald is home, and watching over us all, and finally at peace. We’d like to see an Annual “Lusk-a-palooza”. That evening brought together so many people that didn’t know each other, and yet were able to form new friendships. That is what Donald created. He had such a wide variety of friends and they all share some kind of undefineable common thread as people. We miss him daily. (P.S “And now the sun turns out it’s light, Goodnight, Goodnight”.)