Donald “Buckshot” Curley, 85 of Galena, IL passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, August 26, 2020, at his home with his beloved companion JJ by his side. Funeral services will be held at Noon, Saturday, September 5, 2020, at St Michael Catholic Cemetery, Galena where friends may call after 11 AM at the cemetery until time of service. Military rites will be accorded at graveside by Galena VFW Post #2665 and American Legion Post #193. Social distancing and masks are requested. The Furlong Funeral Chapel, Galena is assisting the family. He was born April 12, 1935, in Newark, NJ the son of William and Grace (Maher) Curley. He was a 1953 graduate of Galena High School, after which he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corp. It was while in the service he began his baseball career. He was a proud life-long member of the Marine Corps League and The Veterans of Foreign Wars.  After his service in the Marines, Don worked at John Deere for thirty years and was a well-known wall-paperer and painter, with a detail for historic accuracy.  Don loved the Yankees, the Bears, softball, and baseball. He was inducted into the Northwestern Illinois Hall of Fame and Dubuque Softball Hall of Fame.  Don coached a team and won the World Series Softball Tournament, another enormously proud moment in his over sixty years of playing his favorite sport.  He last connected his bat to the ball when he was seventy-two years old. He was mentioned several times in the book, Galena’s Baseball Legacy, and was also published in Having a Fine Time in Galena. In his spare time, he was an extra in three movies: Gaily Gaily, To Hell and Back, and Battle cry. What Don cherished most, though, was the time he spent with his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He was a man of great integrity, who valued honesty and respect.  He will be forever loved and missed by his family. Don is survived by his, three daughters, Tamara (Brian) LoCasto, Carrie Philion, and Cynthia (Edward) Foley, eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren with one on the way, his sister, Dorothy and one nephew. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Mary Lou, and son, Danny.  In lieu of flowers, please donate to The Workshop Community Meals Program or Galena High School Athletic Department in memory of Don.