Donald Byron Suber, 85, of Hattiesburg, died on June 25, 2020, after a brief battle with cancer.
He was born in Long Beach on Jan. 25, 1935. Funeral services were June 29 at Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg. Burial was in Roseland Park Cemetery.
Suber retired from The Merchants Company on Sept. 30, 2006, after more than 50 years of service. He began his career with the company on Feb. 23, 1956, as a counter salesman in Gulfport.
He became a citizen of Hattiesburg in 1968 when he was promoted to general manager of the grocery division.
In 1979, he assumed the position of vice president of the grocery division in Hattiesburg.
Suber was elevated to company president and CEO in 1987. His instrumental role in changing the company focus from retail grocery to broadline foodservice distribution preserved several hundred jobs for the Hattiesburg community.
He also served as a board member of the Mississippi Restaurant Association and as a board member and chairman of the board for eight years with Frosty Acres Buying Group. He also served as a longtime member of the board of directors of the International Foodservice Distributors Association.
Suber was an instrumental business leader and productive member of the Hattiesburg community for 39 years.
He was a member of Temple Baptist Church.
Suber was preceded in death by his parents, John Robert Suber and Virgie Rae Suber; two sisters, Mavis Suber Cospelich (George) and Charlotte Suber Seymour (Marlin); two brothers, James Wilson Suber (Josie) and Robert Derward Suber; and two sons, Steve Suber and Glenn Suber.
He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Patricia Skinner Suber; three sons, Byron Suber of Ithaca, New York, Ken Richardson (Margaret) of Ocean Springs, and Keith Suber (Shellie) of Alabaster, Alabama; one daughter, Cindy Yarnell (Bobby) of Atlanta, Georgia; seven grandchildren and several great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
