Post by skullrxw1 on Mar 9, 2008 15:11:10 GMT -5
from WrestlingFigs.com
Don Curtis passed away today at 2 PM.
All of us at WrestlingFigs.com want to wish Don's wife, Dotty and family, friends and fans sincere sympathy and condolences.
RIP 5/22 - 3/6/08
Born: Don Beitelman
Legally changed to Don Curtis
Mostly known with partner Mark Lewin
They held the NWA World Tag Team titles with Mark Lewin
# Don Curtis formed a heel team with Mark Lewin and wore satin capes as a part of their gimmick feuding with Eddie & Jerry Graham..
# Don Curtis broke an attendance record in Jacksonville, Florida when he faced Lou Thesz for the World Heavyweight title..
# Don Curtis was a promoter in Jacksonville until 1981 when he left wrestling & became the Chief of the Gator Bowl complex..
# 1980: Don Curtis was inducted into the U.B. Athletic Hall of Fame for his wrestling and football accomplishments..
# February 26, 2008: Don Curtis (Don Beitelman) suffered a massive stroke and was taken to a Hospice facility..
As soon as we get any funeral arrangements we will post them here for you.
Scott Teal send us this letter from Dotty on 2/26
Don suffered a massive stroke due to a blood clot breaking loose and hitting the left side of his brain. I (Dotty) found him in a pool of blood, face down in the bedroom two mornings ago, but it wasn't until late last night that an MRI confirmed the stroke and severe damage. He has been transported to the new Hospice facility at Mayo Clinic, where he will receive the best of care.
Please know that Don is in no pain, and would want nothing more that to end the life that he presently lives in. If anyone could say, "I've done it all!", it would be Don. A wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend no one could have asked any more from.
Pray for him.
Dotty & Don
Bill Watts wrote this
The ring bell is tolling... as more are called home...
Don Curtis... was so special... a tremendous athlete... a tremendous human being... a tremendous husband and father and grandfather... and my friend...
Damn...these 'golden years' are also very 'tearful years'... as 'those of us' still 'on this side of the dirt' mourn the passing on of dear friends...many very special friends for many, many years...and with each passing... it is like 'another piece of ourselves'... and our own mortality being brought into a closer focus...
Last night as I watched O'Reilly on the Factor on FNC... (and believe me I am NOT promoting O'Reilly...it is just Fox is the only network were conservatives can get 'our side of things') -- and he had Laura Ingraham -- a conservative radio and TV personality...whom I do like -- but in this piece with her and O'Reilly...he brought up Brett Favre's retirement press conference... and all 'Brett's tears of emotion' ... and Laura too made some fun of it... to infer 'real men just do not break down and sob'... she said John Wayne did not cry...
I sent a quick email to the Factor with this simple statement:
Jesus Christ was perfect man and perfect God... and He wept over circumstances concerning His mission here on earth...
The reason John Wayne did not cry...it was NOT in the script...
Brett Favre is real... and life is real... and men of emotion can cry...
Yes... no response... but that is not the point...
And let me go right on record... Bill Watts... yes Cowboy Bill Watts... is crying now...right this minute... as I received a personal email from Dotty... Don's wife of 51 years... about his last moments this past Thursday... and am now trying to write this to share with you about my dear friend Don...
And I have cried over so many of my friends deaths as I mourned their loss (even while celebrating their victory in transition to Heaven)...friends not family and kin... but friends...like: Ernie Ladd -- for whom I wept for 4 days; Fred Williams -- a friend of 50 years -- whose name I still have not taken out of my email address book; Paul Aubrey -- another close friend of over 50 year; Wally Curtis -- (who saved my life in Dallas all those years ago...as he took a knife through his hand into his chest that was intended for my back in a vicious street fight the night before the OU vs. Texas game), Jerry Fredericks, Jay Smith, Wahoo McDaniels... that crazy Indian -- and my OU football team mate (and remember, I am a Chickasaw, so this is not disrespect... but pride)... but it was Wahoo who actually got me into pro-wrestling; the Junk Yard Dog; and of course, Eddie Graham, my most important mentor in the pro-wrestling business; Dan McIntosh; Dewey Robertson (the Missing Link);... plus several more...the 'bell is tolling more and more' as 'we age' and God calls us home...
I remember it was about 1970 when a friend of mine in Minnesota... a realtor... who had become our (my family's) friend... and included us in all their family gatherings there... and I had just moved back to Oklahoma to begin my wrestling promotion career... and he died... and I cried... and I even 'felt guilty' that a 'man should cry'...
what a bunch of crap! Real men do cry... real men have emotions... there is NO weakness or shame in crying... it can be such a cleansing... I am glad I have such deep emotions about people who have impacted my life....
like I said... the most perfect man... my hero, Jesus Christ wept...
And so I too shed tears of mourning for my friend Don Curtis (birth name: Donald B. Beitelman)...and for his lovely and dear wife...Dotty... who was so integral to his life... and such a warm and wonderful friend...in 1973 and 1974 when I was expanding and brought into Georgia and then to Florida by Eddie Graham... is when I really got to know Don and Dotty...
Don was a 'tough...very tough wrestler'... and I say that in praise... not as a 'mean-spirited person' but reflective of his heart and courage... and he was an extremely 'disciplined' trainer... he never missed working out... and some of his exploits in that too were legendary... he was not huge... but lean and mean...no body fat... always in fantastic condition... his lean arms were perfect for the 'rear naked strangle'... as the 'sleeper hold' is called today in the UFC...
and yes... he had a temper... all professional athletes do... but his was expressed in a distinct way... if really offended... his voice would go 'up' several octaves in pitch or tone... almost shrill... as he proceeded to verbalize to the offender the consequences of their actions... Oh...I could relate some Don Curtis stories... ;>)
and he could then execute his 'sentencing of them very effectively'... and he and I have been in a couple of those 'fan riots' situations... where we were 'stomping ass and taking names' in... and later over a couple of beers would regale our friends with the episode... as so often happened in that business 'pre-Vince McMahon's turning it into a complete cartoon'...
Don was a consummate private pilot... with many hours of multi-engine and instrument time... and I flew with him many trips in a Beech Baron...in instrument weather... and he was truly a 'pro'...
He was liked and respected by his peers... and that crossed all levels of society... his smile was so ready... his heart so open to receive and embrace (maybe that too is why his temper could flair so when he felt directly insulted or attacked)...
He also became a world-class and Olympic class wrestling referee... and he and another US referee exposed collusion between the Soviet Union and East Germany in a world class tournament... and they were expelled and sent home in disgrace (the only disgrace it was to Russia and East Germany...is they got caught).
Dotty and Don's home was always open... during those two main years '73 and '74... I looked forward to trips to Jacksonville... as Don would always meet me at the airport... and if time permitted we went to their home before the matches that night... if not... we went out after... to eat and have a few 'beers'... and Dotty was always with us...
They loved to be around people... and I'll always remember their garlic and oil salad dressing... awesome... and I spent many nights as their house guest...
Don's love for Dotty... AWESOME... truly awesome...
In these past couple of years... as his dementia grew worse.... and he no longer recognized even good friends... (though he always recognized Dotty... and always told her he loved her)... and his mental skills degraded... and Dotty would sometimes share with me... all I could do was 'remind her' of all the wonderful memories she could cling to...THEIR MARRIAGE LASTED!
Still... she said... this damn disease robs us of our last years together...
But Dotty's love of Don... what an inspiration to anyone ... even today... that marriage truly can be a lifetime commitment... and overcome anything... for those willing...and Dotty's faith too... is a strength for her now... as she knows 'this is a transition for Don'...and in her words to me... show her faith...and I'll share with you just a portion of them:
Bill,
I lost my guy Thurs. at 2 p.m. He now is whole again.
Now is the hard part.....life without him. He was so much a part of my life. I thought he was immortal. He lingered on, putting up the best fight of his life.
She and his family sat there and assured Don... it was ok to go on...to let go...
How awesome is that... we come in as babies... and need love and assurance... and a fighter like Don... seemed would only let go when he was being assured it was ok to go... even that penetrated his mind ... even in the coma he was in... and he let go....
Enough of my memories...I am so proud to be Don's friend...he impacted my life... following are some of the published things on Don...
University of Buffalo Athletic Hall of Fame
Donald B. Beitelman
www.alumni.buffalo.edu/drpl/node/134
Obituary in:
The Florida Times-Union
Direct link to this article...and has Don's picture:
www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/030808/met_254915090.shtml
March 8, 2008
Obituary: Don Curtis, pro wrestling's 'Buffalo Bomber' became a promoter
By Jessie-Lynne Kerr,
The Times-Union
Don Curtis, who was known as "the Buffalo Bomber" on the profess ional wrestling circuit in the 1950s and '60s and later became a sports promoter and managed Jacksonville's sports facilities, died Thursday.
--------------------------------------------------
He was 80 and suffered a massive stroke nine days earlier. He had been staying at the McGraw Center of Caring of Community Hospice of Northeast Florida. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 15 at Hardage-Giddens Chapel Hill Funeral Home, 850 N. St. Johns Bluff Road, Jacksonville. "Don was a true wrestler, not an actor," said former Jacksonville Mayor Jake Godbold, who appointed Mr. Curtis chief of operations for the city's Recreation and Public Affairs Department in 1981 to oversee the Coliseum, Civic Auditorium, Gator Bowl and Wolfson baseball park. "He was not only a great athlete but a man of great character," Godbold said. "I don't know of anything Don took on that he didn't do in a good manner. He had a good business sense and did an excellent job for us and commanded a great deal of respect." When Mr. Curtis retired in 1990, he took delight in helping to raise a grandson and continued to be active in community work, such as the Florida Law Enforcement Games, said his wife of 51 years, Dottie. Being married to him "was probably the greatest thing in the world," she said. "Don loved life and he loved being able to give to other people." Her husband tried to be a role model for young men and was the first volunteer wrestling coach at Bishop Kenny High School, she said. Mr. Curtis also served on the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Committee for the Munich Games in 1972. "Nothing in his life was anything but fun," Dottie Curtis said. Her husband's last pair of wrestling boots have been bronzed and are kept as a special memento, she said. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Mr. Curtis served in the submarine service in World War II before enrolling at the University of Buffalo, where he played football and wrestled. He was inducted into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980. After graduating, he was offered a contract to play football for the Baltimore Colts but he chose professional wrestling because at that time it paid more money. He spent the first six years wrestling in Australia and New Zealand. During his wrestling career, which continued for 15 years, Mr. Curtis became known for his finishing move, The Sleeper Hold. In a newspaper interview in 1989, he said the hold actually pinched an artery feeding the brain, causing the victim to pass out. He also was known for his flying drop kick. Mr. Curtis appeared on more than 1,700 pro cards and wrestled in Madison Square Garden more than 50 times taking on such names as Gorgeous George and Dick the Bruiser. For several years he and partner Mark Lewin held the United States Tag Team title. Mr. Curtis made his Jacksonville debut in 1961 wrestling Hans Schmidt in the Coliseum less than a year after it opened. By 1966, the year he moved to Jacksonville, he was the city's favorite son in sports promotions. His civic and charitable activities included the Police Athletic League, where he was board chairman, coach and teacher; the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch; the Governor's Sports and Fitness Council; the Florida Police Olympics; and the Jacksonville Area Golf Association. In 1975 he organized the United States/Russia Dual Wrestling Meet in Jacksonville. In addition to his wife, Mr. Curtis is survived by two daughters, Lisa Bailey and Elaine Graham, both of Jacksonville; a son, Donald Ackland of Tauranga, New Zealand; seven grandchildren and a sister, Helen Small of Lancaster, N.Y. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the McGraw Center of Caring of Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, 4715 Worrell Way, Jacksonville, FL 32224, or the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch, 1813 Cecil Webb Place, Live Oak, FL 32060. jessie-lynne.kerr@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4374
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/030808/met_254915090.shtml.
Another news story on Don: www.firstcoastnews.com/news/news-article.aspx?storyid=12130
Sorry for being late again and the wall of text.
Don Curtis passed away today at 2 PM.
All of us at WrestlingFigs.com want to wish Don's wife, Dotty and family, friends and fans sincere sympathy and condolences.
RIP 5/22 - 3/6/08
Born: Don Beitelman
Legally changed to Don Curtis
Mostly known with partner Mark Lewin
They held the NWA World Tag Team titles with Mark Lewin
# Don Curtis formed a heel team with Mark Lewin and wore satin capes as a part of their gimmick feuding with Eddie & Jerry Graham..
# Don Curtis broke an attendance record in Jacksonville, Florida when he faced Lou Thesz for the World Heavyweight title..
# Don Curtis was a promoter in Jacksonville until 1981 when he left wrestling & became the Chief of the Gator Bowl complex..
# 1980: Don Curtis was inducted into the U.B. Athletic Hall of Fame for his wrestling and football accomplishments..
# February 26, 2008: Don Curtis (Don Beitelman) suffered a massive stroke and was taken to a Hospice facility..
As soon as we get any funeral arrangements we will post them here for you.
Scott Teal send us this letter from Dotty on 2/26
Don suffered a massive stroke due to a blood clot breaking loose and hitting the left side of his brain. I (Dotty) found him in a pool of blood, face down in the bedroom two mornings ago, but it wasn't until late last night that an MRI confirmed the stroke and severe damage. He has been transported to the new Hospice facility at Mayo Clinic, where he will receive the best of care.
Please know that Don is in no pain, and would want nothing more that to end the life that he presently lives in. If anyone could say, "I've done it all!", it would be Don. A wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend no one could have asked any more from.
Pray for him.
Dotty & Don
Bill Watts wrote this
The ring bell is tolling... as more are called home...
Don Curtis... was so special... a tremendous athlete... a tremendous human being... a tremendous husband and father and grandfather... and my friend...
Damn...these 'golden years' are also very 'tearful years'... as 'those of us' still 'on this side of the dirt' mourn the passing on of dear friends...many very special friends for many, many years...and with each passing... it is like 'another piece of ourselves'... and our own mortality being brought into a closer focus...
Last night as I watched O'Reilly on the Factor on FNC... (and believe me I am NOT promoting O'Reilly...it is just Fox is the only network were conservatives can get 'our side of things') -- and he had Laura Ingraham -- a conservative radio and TV personality...whom I do like -- but in this piece with her and O'Reilly...he brought up Brett Favre's retirement press conference... and all 'Brett's tears of emotion' ... and Laura too made some fun of it... to infer 'real men just do not break down and sob'... she said John Wayne did not cry...
I sent a quick email to the Factor with this simple statement:
Jesus Christ was perfect man and perfect God... and He wept over circumstances concerning His mission here on earth...
The reason John Wayne did not cry...it was NOT in the script...
Brett Favre is real... and life is real... and men of emotion can cry...
Yes... no response... but that is not the point...
And let me go right on record... Bill Watts... yes Cowboy Bill Watts... is crying now...right this minute... as I received a personal email from Dotty... Don's wife of 51 years... about his last moments this past Thursday... and am now trying to write this to share with you about my dear friend Don...
And I have cried over so many of my friends deaths as I mourned their loss (even while celebrating their victory in transition to Heaven)...friends not family and kin... but friends...like: Ernie Ladd -- for whom I wept for 4 days; Fred Williams -- a friend of 50 years -- whose name I still have not taken out of my email address book; Paul Aubrey -- another close friend of over 50 year; Wally Curtis -- (who saved my life in Dallas all those years ago...as he took a knife through his hand into his chest that was intended for my back in a vicious street fight the night before the OU vs. Texas game), Jerry Fredericks, Jay Smith, Wahoo McDaniels... that crazy Indian -- and my OU football team mate (and remember, I am a Chickasaw, so this is not disrespect... but pride)... but it was Wahoo who actually got me into pro-wrestling; the Junk Yard Dog; and of course, Eddie Graham, my most important mentor in the pro-wrestling business; Dan McIntosh; Dewey Robertson (the Missing Link);... plus several more...the 'bell is tolling more and more' as 'we age' and God calls us home...
I remember it was about 1970 when a friend of mine in Minnesota... a realtor... who had become our (my family's) friend... and included us in all their family gatherings there... and I had just moved back to Oklahoma to begin my wrestling promotion career... and he died... and I cried... and I even 'felt guilty' that a 'man should cry'...
what a bunch of crap! Real men do cry... real men have emotions... there is NO weakness or shame in crying... it can be such a cleansing... I am glad I have such deep emotions about people who have impacted my life....
like I said... the most perfect man... my hero, Jesus Christ wept...
And so I too shed tears of mourning for my friend Don Curtis (birth name: Donald B. Beitelman)...and for his lovely and dear wife...Dotty... who was so integral to his life... and such a warm and wonderful friend...in 1973 and 1974 when I was expanding and brought into Georgia and then to Florida by Eddie Graham... is when I really got to know Don and Dotty...
Don was a 'tough...very tough wrestler'... and I say that in praise... not as a 'mean-spirited person' but reflective of his heart and courage... and he was an extremely 'disciplined' trainer... he never missed working out... and some of his exploits in that too were legendary... he was not huge... but lean and mean...no body fat... always in fantastic condition... his lean arms were perfect for the 'rear naked strangle'... as the 'sleeper hold' is called today in the UFC...
and yes... he had a temper... all professional athletes do... but his was expressed in a distinct way... if really offended... his voice would go 'up' several octaves in pitch or tone... almost shrill... as he proceeded to verbalize to the offender the consequences of their actions... Oh...I could relate some Don Curtis stories... ;>)
and he could then execute his 'sentencing of them very effectively'... and he and I have been in a couple of those 'fan riots' situations... where we were 'stomping ass and taking names' in... and later over a couple of beers would regale our friends with the episode... as so often happened in that business 'pre-Vince McMahon's turning it into a complete cartoon'...
Don was a consummate private pilot... with many hours of multi-engine and instrument time... and I flew with him many trips in a Beech Baron...in instrument weather... and he was truly a 'pro'...
He was liked and respected by his peers... and that crossed all levels of society... his smile was so ready... his heart so open to receive and embrace (maybe that too is why his temper could flair so when he felt directly insulted or attacked)...
He also became a world-class and Olympic class wrestling referee... and he and another US referee exposed collusion between the Soviet Union and East Germany in a world class tournament... and they were expelled and sent home in disgrace (the only disgrace it was to Russia and East Germany...is they got caught).
Dotty and Don's home was always open... during those two main years '73 and '74... I looked forward to trips to Jacksonville... as Don would always meet me at the airport... and if time permitted we went to their home before the matches that night... if not... we went out after... to eat and have a few 'beers'... and Dotty was always with us...
They loved to be around people... and I'll always remember their garlic and oil salad dressing... awesome... and I spent many nights as their house guest...
Don's love for Dotty... AWESOME... truly awesome...
In these past couple of years... as his dementia grew worse.... and he no longer recognized even good friends... (though he always recognized Dotty... and always told her he loved her)... and his mental skills degraded... and Dotty would sometimes share with me... all I could do was 'remind her' of all the wonderful memories she could cling to...THEIR MARRIAGE LASTED!
Still... she said... this damn disease robs us of our last years together...
But Dotty's love of Don... what an inspiration to anyone ... even today... that marriage truly can be a lifetime commitment... and overcome anything... for those willing...and Dotty's faith too... is a strength for her now... as she knows 'this is a transition for Don'...and in her words to me... show her faith...and I'll share with you just a portion of them:
Bill,
I lost my guy Thurs. at 2 p.m. He now is whole again.
Now is the hard part.....life without him. He was so much a part of my life. I thought he was immortal. He lingered on, putting up the best fight of his life.
She and his family sat there and assured Don... it was ok to go on...to let go...
How awesome is that... we come in as babies... and need love and assurance... and a fighter like Don... seemed would only let go when he was being assured it was ok to go... even that penetrated his mind ... even in the coma he was in... and he let go....
Enough of my memories...I am so proud to be Don's friend...he impacted my life... following are some of the published things on Don...
University of Buffalo Athletic Hall of Fame
Donald B. Beitelman
www.alumni.buffalo.edu/drpl/node/134
Obituary in:
The Florida Times-Union
Direct link to this article...and has Don's picture:
www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/030808/met_254915090.shtml
March 8, 2008
Obituary: Don Curtis, pro wrestling's 'Buffalo Bomber' became a promoter
By Jessie-Lynne Kerr,
The Times-Union
Don Curtis, who was known as "the Buffalo Bomber" on the profess ional wrestling circuit in the 1950s and '60s and later became a sports promoter and managed Jacksonville's sports facilities, died Thursday.
--------------------------------------------------
He was 80 and suffered a massive stroke nine days earlier. He had been staying at the McGraw Center of Caring of Community Hospice of Northeast Florida. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 15 at Hardage-Giddens Chapel Hill Funeral Home, 850 N. St. Johns Bluff Road, Jacksonville. "Don was a true wrestler, not an actor," said former Jacksonville Mayor Jake Godbold, who appointed Mr. Curtis chief of operations for the city's Recreation and Public Affairs Department in 1981 to oversee the Coliseum, Civic Auditorium, Gator Bowl and Wolfson baseball park. "He was not only a great athlete but a man of great character," Godbold said. "I don't know of anything Don took on that he didn't do in a good manner. He had a good business sense and did an excellent job for us and commanded a great deal of respect." When Mr. Curtis retired in 1990, he took delight in helping to raise a grandson and continued to be active in community work, such as the Florida Law Enforcement Games, said his wife of 51 years, Dottie. Being married to him "was probably the greatest thing in the world," she said. "Don loved life and he loved being able to give to other people." Her husband tried to be a role model for young men and was the first volunteer wrestling coach at Bishop Kenny High School, she said. Mr. Curtis also served on the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Committee for the Munich Games in 1972. "Nothing in his life was anything but fun," Dottie Curtis said. Her husband's last pair of wrestling boots have been bronzed and are kept as a special memento, she said. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Mr. Curtis served in the submarine service in World War II before enrolling at the University of Buffalo, where he played football and wrestled. He was inducted into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980. After graduating, he was offered a contract to play football for the Baltimore Colts but he chose professional wrestling because at that time it paid more money. He spent the first six years wrestling in Australia and New Zealand. During his wrestling career, which continued for 15 years, Mr. Curtis became known for his finishing move, The Sleeper Hold. In a newspaper interview in 1989, he said the hold actually pinched an artery feeding the brain, causing the victim to pass out. He also was known for his flying drop kick. Mr. Curtis appeared on more than 1,700 pro cards and wrestled in Madison Square Garden more than 50 times taking on such names as Gorgeous George and Dick the Bruiser. For several years he and partner Mark Lewin held the United States Tag Team title. Mr. Curtis made his Jacksonville debut in 1961 wrestling Hans Schmidt in the Coliseum less than a year after it opened. By 1966, the year he moved to Jacksonville, he was the city's favorite son in sports promotions. His civic and charitable activities included the Police Athletic League, where he was board chairman, coach and teacher; the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch; the Governor's Sports and Fitness Council; the Florida Police Olympics; and the Jacksonville Area Golf Association. In 1975 he organized the United States/Russia Dual Wrestling Meet in Jacksonville. In addition to his wife, Mr. Curtis is survived by two daughters, Lisa Bailey and Elaine Graham, both of Jacksonville; a son, Donald Ackland of Tauranga, New Zealand; seven grandchildren and a sister, Helen Small of Lancaster, N.Y. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the McGraw Center of Caring of Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, 4715 Worrell Way, Jacksonville, FL 32224, or the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch, 1813 Cecil Webb Place, Live Oak, FL 32060. jessie-lynne.kerr@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4374
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/030808/met_254915090.shtml.
Another news story on Don: www.firstcoastnews.com/news/news-article.aspx?storyid=12130
Sorry for being late again and the wall of text.
