Don Bacon, a renowned Tucson, Arizona, high school athlete and coach, passed away on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at the age of 82.
While the actual cause of Don Bacon’s demise is not yet available, he was admitted to the hospital for several weeks and was being treated.
The Sahuaro’s Hall of Famer, Don Bacon, was a member of Tucson High School’s state championship baseball and basketball teams in the early 1960s.
Born in the small town of Crockett, Texas, to Reverend Joy Bacon and Lillie, he was a catcher and outfielder at Tucson High School and later continued his career at Phoenix College.
Furthermore, Bacon served for several years as an assistant coach with the softball team and as equipment manager for the football team at Sahuaro High School, and also assisted Botkin with the girls’ basketball team.
He also volunteered three to four hours daily during the school years, assisting the groundkeepers.
Similarly, Don Bacon began working for Sears Roebuck in 1965 and remained with the company for 35 years until his retirement in 2001.
He was also hired as a dropout prevention specialist in January of 2000 and remained active until his demise.
Don Bacon’s demise has left a profound void in the lives of his family, friends, and loved ones.
Many of his students and loved ones are sending their heartfelt condolences to Don Bacon’s wife and kids and recalling the memories of the legendary Tucson, Arizona, athlete and coach.
Don Bacon Is Survived By His Longtime Wife Quillis, Three Kids, And The Whole Family
Don Bacon leaves behind his beloved, longtime wife, Quillis Cannon Bacon, and two sons, Barry and Omar, as well as a daughter named Shawn.
Tying the knot in October 1966, Don Bacon and his wife Quillis were happily married for almost 60 years.
While very little information about his wife, Quillis, is available, the couple first met when Don was playing basketball in Tucson and Quillis was attending his rival school, Pueblo High Magnet School.
“One day, I was out in the yard. I knew her aunt and I saw them come by in a car. I was like, ‘That’s that girl who I used to try to see.’ That’s how I started going around with her. … After Tucson High, I went to Phoenix College and I later found out her family was going to move to Los Angeles. The only way I could keep her was to marry her, so we got married.”
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Regarding Don Bacon’s children, all three of his children were former high school athletes.
His sons, Omar and Barry, played football for the Sahuaro High School football team between 1987 and 1994, when Don served as the assistant coach. Meanwhile, his daughter, Shawn, excelled in softball.
Shawn Bacon, who graduated from Sahuaro High School in 1986, currently works as a resolution specialist for Progressive Insurance and lives happily with her husband, Charles Brook, and their three kids in Colorado Springs.
Likewise, Don’s son, Omar, a former Sahuaro star running back, went on to play at Utah before joining the New York Giants.
He currently runs his own personal training business in Colorado Springs, called CO One Steph Ahead. Omar is a proud father of four kids.
Furthermore, Don’s oldest son, Barry, also a running back at Sahuaro High School, played at Arizona State, and currently lives in Phoenix working as a fire engineer.
Barry also worked as an emergency medical technician supervisor with a background as a firefighter.
In addition to his wife and children, Don Bacon also leaves behind his six siblings: Joy Jr., Jay, Tommy Charles, Lela, Eva, and Delphine, as well as several nieces and nephews, grandchildren, and his entire family.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Don Bacon’s family has yet to provide details about his funeral and memorial services.
- He was preceded in death by his parents and four siblings named Marshall, Homer, Forest, and Larry.
