Donald E. "Don" Bingham, Jr.

Donald E. “Don” Bingham Jr. (76) passed away on July 18, 2025 at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston after a long health battle with heart failure from sarcoidosis.

Don was born on October 19, 1948, at Lucy Helen Memorial Hospital in Fitchburg, the son of the late Donald and Emily (Brown) Bingham. He went through the Fitchburg school system and attended Fitchburg High School afternoon double shift schooling graduating with the Class of 1966. He then earned an associate degree in science in business technology from Mount Wachusett Community College in 1968. He served in the Army Reserves and received an honorable discharge in 1974.

He married Ann Richard in 1969 and they had two children, Allison (Bingham) Russell and Christopher Bingham. They separated and divorced in 1983. He met Eileen Sheehan, and after a long engagement, they married in 2010. Family was extremely important to him and he loved his nieces and nephews who called him Uncle Ducky before having his own children and grandchildren all of which he entertained with Donald Duck impersonations.

Don spent most of his career running the family owned Bingham Lumber Company and Bingham Christmas Tree Farm with his sister Carol and brother David. The business was much loved and retained many employees long term with some hired out of high school (Don Green, Claude “Marty” Reep, Franny Shaw, Richard Barnes, Jim Couture, Mark Evans, Chris (Smitty) Smith, John Koutonen, Todd Reynolds, Mike Lashua). Don filled in as the sawyer and ran his own portable sawmill. He also built many custom residential homes with his wife, Eileen.

Don enjoyed playing baseball starting in Little League through Community College and even tried out for the Boston Red Sox. He then played softball with the City of Fitchburg League with various sponsors and One Pitch League and Brookline Aces. In his late 20s, he and his brother took up playing hockey at the Fitchburg Civic Center and they were the players you wanted to play with not against. He played many nights a week with the Fun Time League, Old Timer’s League, Bingham Lumber Team as well as Coors Rockies Tournament Team. Don also took up golf and played regularly at Maplewood Golf Course, Woods of Westminster, Gardner Golf Course and in various tournaments. He accumulated a long list of life long friends of mention being Stephen (Dinglewhistle) Gilmartin, Paul Gionet, Pete Hertel, Mike Donnelly and Paul Thibault.

He loved spending time in Cancun, visiting his timeshare there for 32 consecutive years with family and friends and meeting other vacationers that became long time friends especially Greg and Linda Wheeler, Maureen Cales and Keith Spencer. Don also had a passion for Corvettes, owning several throughout his life, including a Malibu blue 1966, a yellow 1968 and a ruby red 1993 40th anniversary edition. He loved dogs and had many over his lifetime with his favorites being German shepherds King, Lady, Spunky, Smokey, Sampson and his current shepherd mix Sandy.

He leaves behind his wife Eileen with whom he shared 43 years; his daughter Allison Russell and husband Robert; his son Christopher Bingham and wife Tracey; his grandchildren Emily and Kaitlyn Russell, and Evan and Avery Bingham; nieces Rebecca (Hartwell) Galvin and Sally (Hartwell) Christensen, and nephews David Bingham Jr. and Thomas Bingham. He was very close with Eileen’s family and enjoyed their yearly reunion at his home and spending many holidays, vacations, and other events with her sister Karen (Sheehan) Wittmier, her husband Darren Marcil and their combined family Christopher and Shawn Wittmier and Michayla (Marcil) Casella. In recent years he enjoyed weekly lunch with Eileen’s cousin Fred Flood and his wife Joyce. He was predeceased by his father (1990), mother (1999), first wife Ann (Richard) Carolan (2007), sister Carol (Bingham) Hartwell (2010) and her husband Robert (2025), brother David Bingham (2023) and his wife Joyce (Tapply) Bingham (2019). As well as Eileen’s parents John Sheehan (2015) and Yolande Sheehan (2010).

We would like to thank the Advanced Heart Failure Clinic personnel of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center who helped him sustain a quality life well beyond his diagnosed life expectancy. Especially recognizing Pablo Quintero Pinzon MD, Cathy Lee NP, Monique Nestor NP, electrophysiologist Panagiotis Papageorgiou MD, and Will Grandin MD who helped us navigate his final days.

In lieu of flowers/plants, contributions in memory of Donald E. Bingham Jr. may be made to the memorial fund at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center by visiting www.bidmc.org/giving or by check made payable to “Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center” with “Donald Bingham fund” in the memo line. Contributions can be mailed to: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Office of Philanthropy, 529 Main Street, 4th Floor, Charlestown, MA 02129.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, August 1, 2025 at 10:30 am in the Brandon Funeral Home, 305 Wanoosnoc Road, Fitchburg. Calling hours will be held on Thursday, July 31, 2025 from 5-7 pm in the funeral home.

Brandon Funeral Home, 305 Wanoosnoc Road, Fitchburg is directing arrangements.