Donald Haneke

Donald Melvin Haneke, age 92, of Rio Verde, Arizona passed away on September 13, 2025, in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was born in Ellis, KS on April 3,1933 to Walter and Eva (Sauer) Haneke, one of ten children. In Middle and High School, he showed a great interest in choir and band. He majored in Music at Southwestern College. He went into the Marines as a Sergeant stationed in Okinawa, Japan. In 1958 he married Donna Young and soon welcomed daughter Diana & son David.

After the military, he was a High School choral music teacher in California at Riverside and Corona Del Mar High Schools. In 1971 he started teaching at San Jose State University, where he earned his master’s degree, taught private voice lessons and was the Music Minister at the Palo Alto United Methodist Church where he also hosted & conducted a concert series that was open to the public. In 1978 he became the conductor of the San Jose Symphonic Choir and in 1995 he founded & conducted the Don Haneke Chorale.

In addition to being an exceptional music educator for people of all ages and walks of life, Don enjoyed the opera, ballet, symphony & choral performances. He toured with his choirs to Europe as well as performing at Carnegie Hall. He loved cherries, ice cream, Worthers candies, homemade cookies, brownies, his dog Redford, Milky Way bars and orange juice with lots of pulp.

Don is survived by his daughter, Diana Tomasi and husband Bob; a son, David Haneke; grandsons Mike and Bobby and wife Niqi as well as two great granddaughters, Kali and Charlotte.

Graveside services will be 2:00 PM on Friday, May 15, 2026, at Mt. Hope Cemetery with military honors.

Memories may be shared on Don’s tribute page at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com