Don E. Splinter, 88, a World War II pilot who owned an Park Ridge insurance company, died of Alzheimer’s disease Thursday, Jan. 15, in Lake Forest Place. Born in Chicago, Mr. Splinter was raised on the city’s Northwest Side. He attended Schurz High School for about three years, later finishing his schooling at night, said his wife, Mary. While stationed with the Army Air Forces in South Bend, Ind., he met his wife at a dance. They married in 1945. Mr. Splinter worked as an insurance aviation consultant for a short time in Chicago before starting his own company, Don Splinter Agency, in 1943. The company now is called Splinter Group Inc. and is run by his son Craig. The couple retired and moved to Sturgeon Bay, Wis., in 1980. Other survivors include a son, Scott; two daughters, Beth Gochnauer ; and six grandchildren. Services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday in First Presbyterian Church, 219 W. Maple Ave., Libertyville.
