Alton, NH

Donald Byker of Alton, NH died on Saturday, February 4, 2017 at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester.  He was born on July 27, 1936 in Perkins, IA and was raised in Hudsonville, MI.  He received his B.A. degree from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI and his Ph.D from the University of Michigan.  He worked as a teacher at Unity Christian High School in Hudsonville, MI, then as a professor at Calvin College and Harvard University.  In 1980, after more than a decade as a professor, Don began working in business consulting at Bain and Company in Boston and then co-founded Affinity Industries in Ossipee in 1990.  In 2001, Don retired from Affinity and co-founded Dignity Business Partners in 2010.   Since founding Dignity, Don labored tirelessly with Dignity on the development of Christian missions-oriented business, primarily a coconut processing factory in the Philippines, to create meaningful jobs and high-quality export products for the rural citizens of that country. 

Don’s life was centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Biblical command in the Book of Micah to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.”  Don’s love for his family and his colleagues, and his work to help build God’s Kingdom, was beyond measure.

Don is survived by Wyn, his wife of 58 1/2 years; his son and daughter-in-law Patrick and Ingrid Byker of Durham, NC; his son-in-law and daughter-in-law Guy and Patience Wood of Lottsburg, VA; his grandchildren Thomas and Helen Wood and Joshua Byker; his sister Kay Hamstra and brothers Will and Harry Byker.  Wendy Byker Wood, Don and Wyn’s daughter born in 1960, has been in heaven since June 25, 1998.

A service to remember and celebrate Don will be held at First Congregational Church of Ossipee, 50 Route 16B, Center Ossipee, NH, at 2:00PM on Saturday, February 18, 2017.

In lieu of flowers, Don would wish for contributions to be made to Dignity Coconuts (www.dignitycoconuts.com/donbyker) or to Camp Brookwoods Scholarship Fund, 34 Camp Brookwoods Road, Alton, NH 03809, where Wyn has worked summers for the past 36 years.

 Service Information