Fairfax Station, Virginia - Rightnour - Donald "Don" died January 3, 2026, after a battle with brain cancer. Born February 2, 1957, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, he and his wife, Susan, were longtime residents of Fairfax Station, Va.

Don served more than 30 years in the D.C. area as a corporate tax attorney and tax executive, representing Lockheed Martin, Eloqua, The Fairchild Corporation, and CEB in Domestic and International Tax Directorships.

He earned an LLM in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center and a J.D. from the University of Denver. Along the way, Don received honors including the National AICPA's Elijah Watts Sells Award and Lockheed Martin's NOVA Achievement Award. Don was also a 1979 Business graduate of Penn State University, a member of the D.C. Bar, and was admitted to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Tax Court. He was a past-president and longtime member of the Tax Executives Institute.

Don's quick wit and dry humor were memorable, and he loved music — particularly the Beatles — and his guitar. He coached his children's sports teams for many years, loved to travel, take long walks, read and follow his beloved Nittany Lions.

Above all else, family was everything to Don. Don is survived by his wife, Susan (nee Dallape); his children, Nathan (Shaina), of Los Angeles, and Madison (Steve) Webb, of New York City; siblings, Rebecca (James) Sattel, of Portsmouth, R.I., and Michael Rightnour of Indiana, Pa.; mother-in law, Mildred (Joseph) Dallape, and sister-in-law, Diane Lee, both of Bradenton, Fla.; and sister-in-law, Lynn Palermo of Mars, Pa.; and brother-in-law, Michael (Jeannie) McGuirk, of Leola, Pa. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Joann (Gunzelman) Rightnour.

Private services will be held at St. Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church, Fairfax, Va. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in Don's memory to the Glioblastoma Foundation or Save the Music Foundation.