Fr. Don was born in Paris, Arkansas in 1965. He was raised in the Catholic faith and taught by the Benedictines who operated a Parochial School at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He then moved to Texas to work making printed circuit boards. He worked in the Engineering field until 1994, when he entered Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas. In 1996 he began Theology studies at St. Mary's Seminary in Houston, Texas. He was ordained a priest on June 2, 2001 for the Diocese of Dallas.

For his first year of priestly ministry he served as Parochial Vicar at All Saints Catholic Church under Pastor Fr. Tom Cloherty. In September of 2002 he was moved to St. Pius X Catholic Church where he served as Parochial Vicar under Pastor Msgr. Larry Pichard. In November of 2004 he began serving as Pastoral Administrator of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Duncanville, Texas and one year later was named Pastor.  Father Don was installed as Pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel on January 20, 2008 by Bishop Kevin Farrell.