Don A. Banta, a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge who was among the first American troops to enter Nazi Germany, passed away peacefully on March 30, 2015.

The Chicago native was 89.

Don was raised in Joliet by George and Grace (Donnelly) Banta.

His college education was interrupted during his freshman year when he enlisted in the Army Reserve Specialized Training Program in the fall of 1943. After completing basic training he enlisted in the Parachute Infantry. He saw active duty in three major European campaigns. His unit, the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 17th Airborne Division, was attached to General George Patton's Third Army as part of the relief of the surrounded city of Bastogne and the ensuing counteroffensive during the Battle of the Bulge. In March of 1945 Don took part in Operation Varsity, the airborne invasion of Germany. His C-46 transport was hit by anti-aircraft shells and he jumped from a low altitude into enemy fire. During the Central European Campaign, he participated in the capture of the Hermann Goering Barracks and occupation of the Ruhr before returning to the U.S. at the end of 1945. He was awarded a Bronze star and Combat Infantry Badge for his service.

He resumed his education at Northwestern University, graduating from its law school in 1950.

After serving as house labor attorney for Montgomery Ward & Co., Don concentrated on a labor law practice and became a partner early on in a firm bearing his name for 40 years, finally known as Banta, Hennessy and Graefe, until his retirement in 2001. Don was well known nationally in the labor law community and respected by his peers, opposing counsel and judges alike. In 1999 he was elected by his peers as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, an organization honoring the top labor lawyers in the country. Don was active on the American Bar Association Committee on Labor Arbitration and spoke often at annual meetings.  He made a lasting contribution to the Bar Association community with his videotaped presentation on the history of American Labor Arbitration, which remains a sought after resource in the ABA library.

Throughout his career, Don was a successful trial lawyer, labor negotiator and counselor to multinational corporations and small businesses alike, a combined set of skills rarely practiced by one lawyer.  Don's clients, many of whom stayed with him through his 40 year career, uniformly valued his integrity, impeccable ethics and his practical approach to problem solving. Don's most lasting legacy to the legal community may have been his mentoring of the young attorneys in his firm over the years, many of whom went on to successful legal careers at major corporations and law firms.

Don's retirement opened more doors for his intellectual curiosity, providing time to indulge interests in foreign languages and cultures, theology, history, physics and calculus, which he was teaching himself only weeks before his death.

Don's zest for life was and continues to be a source of inspiration to all who knew him.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Maxine Banta, née Edwards, children Stephanie Banta, Meredith Banta, John (Dianne) Banta and Hillary (Matthew) Ebach, and grandchildren Evan Polance, Spencer Ebach, Grace Ebach, Alexander Banta, Allison Banta and Haley Banta.

Visitation to be held on Monday, April 6, 2015 starting at 9:00 a.m. followed by a funeral mass at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Name Cathedral, 730 N. State Street, Chicago, Illinois.

Burial at Abraham Lincoln National Military Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois.

Memorials may be made to St. Joseph's Indian School, P.O. Box 300, Chamberlain, S.D., 57325-0300 ( www.stjo.org ) or to Wounded Warrior Project ( www.woundedwarriorproject.org ), both of which Don held close to his heart.