Donald E. Percy

MIDDLETON- Donald E. Percy, passed away Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018, with his wife by his side. He was born July 10, 1933, in Lima, Ohio, son of the late Perry and Ruth Percy. He graduated from Lima Central High School in 1951, and from Bowling Green State University (Ohio) in 1955 with a major in Political Science. He did graduate work at American University in Washington D.C. His professional career included service as an administrator for the Advanced Research Projects Agency in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in Washington D.C. and later at the Communications Research Division of the Institute for Defense Analysis located at Princeton University. He moved to Madison in 1962 and served sequentially as a UW-Madison research administrator, Assistant Dean in the College of Letters and Science with concurrent duties in the Chancellor’s Office, Assistant, then Associate Vice President and Executive Vice President in the pre-merger central administration, Senior Vice President for Administration in the merged UW system. He also taught graduate courses in the Schools of Business, Education, and Medicine on the Madison campus. In keeping with the Wisconsin Idea tradition, Don served as Wisconsin’s Secretary of Health and Social Services in the Dreyfus and Schreiber gubernatorial administrations. He returned to the campus where he worked for a year before accepting a position as President and CEO of the Jackson Clinic. Subsequently, he formed and served as President of The Management Group (TMG), a management consulting firm. He closed out the final twelve years of his pre-retirement professional career as President of the University of Wisconsin Credit Union. In 2004 he established his own management consulting firm, the Bardish Group and did work for a number of clients. In January 2007, he took a “sabbatical” from retirement to return to TMG as its Chief Operating Officer. He finished his work with TMG in June 2009 and rekindled his Bardish Group consulting work, focusing on coaching CEOs and governance boards. In addition to his professional work, he participated personally in a variety of statewide and community activities, preferring low-profile contributions helping people in need and those who hurt socially, physically, and mentally. He saw every person as “an original first edition” human. Don is survived by his wife of fifteen and a half years, Beth S. (Erstad) Percy who resides in Middleton; and by three sons and their wives, Christopher and Carol of Cortez, Colo., Gregory and Chris Ann of Monona, and Kevin and Diane of Colorado Springs, Colo.; seven grandchildren, Matthew, Samuel, Tyler, Michael, Brett, Megan, and Erin; and three great-grandchildren; his brother-in-law, Ron Thiesing of Lima, Ohio., and his first wife, Margaret Percy of Reedsburg. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister Marcine Percy Westerman and brother-in-law, Scott Westerman. His one remaining sister, Janet Theising passed away one day after Don in their hometown of Lima, Ohio. At Don’s request, there will be no services. He asks that anyone wishing to honor his memory simply choose one unsolicited act of kindness for another human being. Memorial gifts may be sent to the Donald E. Percy Scholarship Fund, University of Wisconsin Foundation, 1848 University Ave, Madison, WI 53726-4090. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson West Funeral & Cremation Care 7435 University Ave. (608) 831-6761