Donald Frederick Chaloupka

Donald Frederick Chaloupka, a loving brother, uncle, and friend, passed away on June 16, 2021, in Roanoke, Virginia. He was 88 years old.

Born on May 1, 1933, in Jackson Heights, New York, to Joseph and Helen Chaloupka, Donald grew up in Stony Brook, New York. He cherished his close relationship with his loving family, including his younger sister, Nancy Chaloupka, who was his lifelong companion and friend. They also had an older sister, Joan, who passed away before her third birthday, prior to Donald and Nancy being born.

Donald attended Brooklyn Technical High School, where he studied industrial design and discovered his love for building things. It was there that he met his lifelong friend and future brother-in-law, Kenneth Bagnasco, whom he would later introduce to his sister Nancy.

At age 20, Donald was drafted into the U.S. Army and served as a radio operator during the Korean War. After the war, he spent two years in Huntsville, Alabama, working on missile systems before returning to New York to work at Brookhaven National Laboratory. While there, he worked with Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer and other leading scientists from around the world on the Cosmotron, which was the world’s largest particle accelerator at the time.

Some years later, Donald saw the movie Born Free, and it changed his life forever. No longer wanting to work for a boss, he earned his captain’s license, left his job moving to Montauk, New York, and started a charter boat business, purchasing a boat he named Born Free.

During this time, he decided to build his parents a new house and found his new passion in life as a builder. Selling his boat, he formed a partnership with his close friend Charles Kamensky, and together they established a new business named Born Free Enterprises, building homes in Montauk. A few years later, Donald and his partner changed careers again and built, owned, and operated a large motel in Montauk they named the Born Free Motel which they later turned into a time share.

When it came time to retire, Donald moved to Anna Maria Island, Florida to be closer to his sister and brother-in-law. Missing the seasons, he later relocated to Harkers Island, North Carolina, where he lived for many years making many close friendships. In his final years, he decided to move to Blacksburg, Virginia, to be closer to his nephew, Kenneth Bagnasco Jr., and his family in Salem, Virginia. He was later reunited with his sister Nancy and his brother-in-law Kenneth who also moved to the Roanoke area for the same reasons.

Donald had a generous spirit and an exceptional talent for playing the piano. He began playing at age seven, and although he could read music, he often said that when he heard a song, he could see the notes dancing before his eyes. After moving to Warm Hearth Village in Blacksburg, he became the resident pianist at the community center and generously volunteered his time and talents to perform at special events and for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, of which he was a proud member.

Donald also volunteered at a local thrift store in his community called The Treasure Trove. A lifelong animal lover, he owned and rescued many animals, with a particular fondness for German Shepherds. He was the kind of person who would give you the shirt off his back and was loved by all who knew him. When asked to sum up his life in one phrase, Donald simply said, “I did what I wanted to do, and did it my way.”

Donald was preceded in death by his older sister, Joan Chaloupka. He is survived by his younger sister, Nancy Bagnasco, who passed away eight months later, on February 7, 2022; his brother-in-law and best friend, Kenneth Bagnasco; his nephews, Kenneth Bagnasco Jr. and his wife, Kelly Bagnasco; Douglas Bagnasco and his husband, James DeBlasi; and his niece, Jeanne Stephen and her husband, Larry Stephen. He is also survived by four loving great-nieces and great-nephews: Liana Howe, Jeremy Stephen, Kenneth Bagnasco III, and Kristina Bagnasco.

Donald will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.

A private service for Donald and his sister Nancy was held on March 19, 2022, at Sherwood Memorial Park in Salem, Virginia.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting www.johnmoakey.com.