GUGELMAN, Donald "Don" Ernest, 84, passed away peacefully, with his wife by his side, on February 4, 2020, after a period of declining health. He was born May 27, 1935, in Elizabeth, N.J., to the late Ernest Gugelman, formerly of Basel, Switzerland and the late Lillian Hundley Gugelman, formerly of Amburg, Va. He is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Eddie Mae Maher Gugelman; his cousin, Dianne Hirsch of Franklin, Va.; two children, two grandchildren and many special in-laws of whom he was very fond. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brother and sister-in-law, Eugene and Lavinia Ruark; and his nephew, Gene Ruark, all formerly of Deltaville, Va. Don attended The Pingry School in Elizabeth, N.J., graduating in 1953. He was one of only two students in his graduating class who attended the school all 12 years. He graduated in 1955 with a Business Administration degree from Nichols College in Dudley, Mass., after which he became a Virginia State Trooper for a year. He was offered a job opportunity at Sears, Roebuck & Co. and was a Credit Executive there for 34 years, retiring in 1991. During college, he was an ROTC member and then served in the U.S. Army Reserve for nine years. After retiring from Sears, he volunteered at the Richmond International Airport giving tours of planes to school children; worked part-time at Hurd's Hardware in Deltaville; and volunteered for several years with the Henrico County Police Department working with detectives in the Cold Case Squad. His professional memberships included: International Credit Association; Retail Credit Executives Association in Portsmouth and Norfolk, Va.; Roanoke, Va. Consumer Credit Association; Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Roanoke; Merchants Association of Roanoke Valley; Retail Merchants Association of Greater Richmond; Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers; and 100 Club, of which he was a founding member. In 1982, he had the honor of being asked to represent the U.S. credit industry by addressing the Congressional Judiciary Committee on Bankruptcy Reform, U.S. House of Representatives, at the request of Committee Chairman, Congressman Peter Rodino. He received numerous commendations and awards from Sears, as well as other credit organizations for his excellence in credit management. Don's community involvement included holding several offices, culminating with President, in the Middlesex Lions Club; and serving as President of the Bay Country Estates Homeowners' Association in Deltaville; and President of the Sussex Square Homeowners' Association in Richmond, where he simultaneously chaired several committees and managed the pool replacement project. His dedication to his communities earned him several awards, including the Melvin Jones Fellow Award for Humanitarian Service from Lions Club International; County of Henrico Certificate of Appreciation Member of Sergeants Professional Standards Board, 1991 and 2000; and just prior to his death, the Virginia State Police Trooper's Pledge with Patch, a Challenge Coin and a Letter of Recognition for Don's lifelong support of and service to public safety from Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police. Don was a good, kind, smart and generous man who had a great sense of humor. He was a wonderful husband and a loyal friend, and he will be dearly missed. A memorial service will be held at Bennett Funeral Home on West Broad Street on March 27, 2020, at 2 p.m., prior notice of which will appear in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. At the request of family, in lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Don's memory to either the American Heart Association, Gift Processing Center, P.O. Box 78851, Phoenix, Ariz. 85062-8851 or the Richmond SPCA, 2519 Hermitage Road, Richmond, Va. 23220.