Visitation: WEDNESDAY – Jan. 21, 2015 – 3-7 pm at The Dietrich Funeral Homes, Inc., 2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst.
Service: THURSDAY – Jan. 22, 2015 – A Funeral
Service will be held at 11:30 am at The Dietrich Funeral Homes, Inc., 2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst. PUFF – Donald
January 16, 2015.
Beloved husband of
the late Adele (nee
Simister) Puff; loving
father of Donald
(Deborah), Michael,
Jayme (Charles)
Borowiec and the late Frederic;
grandfather of Jacob, Stephen
(Kristin), James, Erin, Sarah, Daniel
and Melissa Pulver; great grandfather
of Kaitlin Puff. Family and friends may
call Wednesday 3-7 PM at the
DIETRICH FUNERAL HOME, INC.,
2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst where
a funeral service will be held on
Thursday at 11:30 AM. Flowers
gratefully declined. Memorials may be
made to Hospice Buffalo in loving
memory of my wife Adele. Online
condolences may be shared at www.
TheDietrichFuneralHome.com Sept. 8, 1926 – Jan. 16, 2015 Donald Louis Puff, a high school physical education teacher and coach, died unexpectedly Friday in his Cheektowaga home. He was 88. Mr. Puff began his teaching career at Cleveland Hill High School in Cheektowaga in 1954 and coached football, swimming and track. His teams won division championships in each sport. His swimming teams, which included his sons, won 10 division titles and nine sectional championships. At one point, his Golden Eagle swimmers amassed a total of 66 straight victories. He retired from the classroom in 1982, but continued to volunteer as an assistant varsity football coach until 2009. Cleveland Hill High School named its swimming pool the Donald L. Puff Natatorium in his honor in 2011. Born in Buffalo, he enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduating from Williamsville High School in 1944 and landed on Iwo Jima with the 4th Marine Division. He was wounded after nine days of combat and evacuated. He was awarded the Purple Heart. After the war, he attended Cortland State College, then re-enlisted in the Marines. Returning from service, he worked full-time as a riveter at Twin Coach Aircraft while attending the University of Buffalo, where he earned a master’s degree in 1954. In retirement, he started a business as a comic book dealer and was a regular vendor at Antique World until 2010. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a Friend of Bill for more than 45 years. His wife of 58 years, the former Adele Simister, died in 2008. Survivors include two sons, Donald J. and Michael; a daughter, Jayme Borowiec; six grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
Services will be held at 11:30 a.m. Thursday in Dietrich Funeral Home, 2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst.