Donald P. Silvera CPA known for riding motorcycles, flying planes, and tapping out Morse code to friends across the globe, died on November 3rd at his home in Hanover, NH. He was 82. He died after a long history of cancer.

In 2002, Don moved with his wife Barbara (Bobby) to the Upper Valley from Port Washington, NY to be present for their grandchildren's lives.

Don loved the Beat poets for finding joy in life's little things. Others loved the same about Don, as well as his sense of humor and his disregard for conforming to molds. He graduated from Muhlenberg College in 1959 with a major in English, where he savored late night talks with friends about philosophy and religion, especially with his roommate Darryl Ponicsan, with whom he remained friends for the next six decades. After college, Don changed course, graduating from Columbia University with an MBA, and then served for two years in the U.S. Army. He worked for corporations large and small in Manhattan and Long Island City before finally landing on the delight of becoming an accounting professor at C.W. Post's Long Island University. While continuing to teach, Don became the Dean of the School of Professional Accountancy, and later, as a CPA, opened a private practice in Port Washington.

Don and his twin sister Rona (Ronnie) were born in New York City on May 19, 1937 to parents Helen Rosmarin and Louis Silver. The twins, along with their older brother Robert (Bob), grew up in the Bronx and later Hewlett on Long Island. The twins graduated from Lynbrook High School.

Don married Barbara Mary Earley on May 29, 1966 after riding his motorcycle in a snowstorm from Manhattan to Southampton, where Bobby was a staff nurse at Southampton Hospital, to propose. They raised two daughters in Port Washington. Don taught himself Morse code and proudly marked locations of new contacts on a world map. When Don turned sixty, his wife finally allowed him to learn to fly, given that their kids had grown. Don delighted in flying to small airports with a coffee shop, and chatting with those at the counter. Don put his clear, friendly, and fair-minded manner to use serving as the treasurer of Port Washington North, often diffusing tension with diplomacy. He did the same in Hanover, years later, when serving as the president of Silent Brook Community Association.

When Don and Bobby moved to the Upper Valley, Don kept all his clients from his CPA practice. In addition, he taught part-time at Franklin Pierce's Lebanon Campus and at Lebanon College. Don loved working and never talked of retirement. Those near to Don heard the excitement in his voice when he completed a complicated tax return or figured out how to save a client unexpected money. He sold his practice only one year before his death. In the words of poet Peter Money about Don, "He made a life!"

Don is survived by his wife Bobby; his daughter Kate D.-Abra Silver Frederick, son-in-law Brad, and grandson Devon, all of Strafford, VT, formerly of North Conway, NH; daughter Emily Silver, son-in-law Whit Van Meter, and grandkids Eloise and Malcolm, of Thetford, VT; and Don's twin sister Rona Rutchik and her husband Martin. His brother Bob Silver passed away two years ago.

Those wishing to make a gift in Don's name may contribute to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. or to Bayada Hospice in Norwich, VT. Don's wife Bobby wishes to thank Don's healthcare team at DHMC for their skill and compassion, including Dr. William Bihrle and Denise Johnson, LPN; as well as Dr. Rodwell Mabera, Jennifer Frost, APRN, and the nursing staff at Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Lastly, Don's family thanks Bayada Hospice's Mary Ann Zock, RN and Susan Monte, LNA for helping Don to have a gentle death. A small gathering of friends and family will occur at a later date.