Donald E. Cameron, 88, of Longview, died on August 2, 2011.  He was born October 1, 1922, at Sayre, PA, to Ross and Frances Cameron of Roscoe, New York.  He graduated from Fort Plain high school and went on to attend Cornell University, majoring in bacteriology.  On graduating from Cornell in 1943, he took a position with the General Foods Corporation, where he spent a 42-year career as a food technologist.  Initially working in research, he is one of the named inventors of “Dream Whip” and was involved in the development of several new products.  Moving on to production, he supervised quality control for Jell-O products and frequently traveled the world troubleshooting problems with food supply in places as diverse as Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ireland, Germany, and most frequently the Philippines.

Don met the love of his life, Clara, while at Cornell; they were married in 1944.  A lifetime partnership ensued; they raised five children and remained active in their communities.  Although early in the marriage they moved frequently to new job assignments, they settled in Smyrna, Delaware, where they remained for 40 years before moving to Ithaca in 2004.  Don was active in the United Methodist church, actively participating and holding various leadership positions.  He was also active in Scouting; all 4 of his sons became Eagle Scouts and his daughter achieved the highest rank in Girl Scouting.

Over the last few years as Clara’s health declined, Don’s total dedication to her well-being was a shining example for all.  At the time of her death they had been married over 65 years; his gracious coping with that has also been an inspiration to all around him.

Don will be remembered as a true gentleman.  He was unfailingly polite, never complaining, always cheerful; when asked how he was doing, his favorite reply was “too blessed to be stressed”.  He was well known for his sense of humor.

He is survived by his children:  George (Pauline) Cameron of Ithaca, Mary Emily Cameron of Collingswood, NJ, Robert (Pamela) Cameron of Rocky Mount, NC, Donald Cameron of Portsmouth, NH, and Bruce (Brenda) Cameron of Derry, NH; 4 grandchildren:  Brian (Rebecca) Cameron of Ithaca, Susan (Gordon) Welch of Portland, OR, David Cameron and Mary Beth Cameron of Rocky Mount, NC; and a great granddaughter, Daisy Welch of Portland.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 27th at 2:00 PM at Longview.  If you wish to honor Don’s memory, please consider a gift to Longview, 1 Bella Vista Drive, Ithaca, NY.