Died of inflammatory rheumatism (1913)
Don's brother, John Gay, died before Don was born. He complained of not feeling well but his mother wouldn't have anything to do with it and sent him to school where he subsequently died. Don Hoster played that card and whenever he complained of not feeling well, Hilda never questioned it and permitted him to remain home. When the Hoster children (Carol, Sooney, & Jon) were attending school and had questions about schoolwork, Don would often quip, "I don't know that; I wasn't in school that day."

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