Dr. Donald Jon Tauber

SPARTA – Dr. Donald Jon Tauber, 75, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Friday, March 29, 2019, (National Vietnam War Veterans Day).
Don was born in Jersey City, N.J. on June 3, 1943 to the late Marshall and Ann Tauber, and then moved to West Orange, N.J. where he graduated from West Orange High School in 1961.
He majored in chemistry at Temple University and graduated from Temple University School of Dentistry in 1968 with a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree. He entered the Army as a Captain in the Dental Corps at Fort Benning, GA and in 1969, he was assigned to the southern portion of Vietnam where he practiced dentistry in underground bunkers and assisted on medical rescue helicopters for the 1st Calvary Division.
After completing his military service and touring Europe for three months, he worked as an associate in a dental office in Washington, NJ, where he met his beautiful wife, Sally Ann Worsley of Hellertown, PA. They married on Nov. 27, 1971 at the Hotel Bethlehem in Bethlehem, PA and moved to Sparta, NJ.
Don opened his general dental practice in February 1972 in Hamburg, NJ, where his new wife Sally was the first dental hygienist in the practice. The dental practice flourished and relocated to its current and larger office in Hamburg on Route 23. He was one of the first dentists in the area to have both day and evening hours, working six days a week, and was one of the longest standing members of the Academy of Comprehensive Dental Studies that was affiliated with St. Clare’s Hospital in Denville, NJ. He received his Academy of General Dentistry degree in 1985 at the ADA convention in San Francisco, and was also a member of the American Dental Association, the New Jersey Dental Association, and the Tri-County Dental Society.
His love of dentistry continued for 48 years, up until he retired from his dental practice in July 2016, where his son Jeff and daughter-in-law Kimberley have continued his legacy. As he stated in his retirement announcement “It has been a true honor to have provided quality dentistry for so many of you throughout my career, and your loyalty is the greatest compliment you could have given me. Thanks for all your kindness, you have become like family and I want you to know how much I appreciate your devotion and deeply formed relationships.”
Don was very blessed and fortunate to have settled in Sparta and raised three wonderful children. Known as a family man, Don always put his wife and his kids first. He was always so proud of his family, and that his hard work and energy passed along to his children. Many family memories have been made by taking yearly family vacations, with their favorite trip being an African safari, and the most recent Tauber family trip to Turks & Caicos in November 2018 to celebrate milestone birthdays. Since dental school, Don had raised Bearded Collies, the last two being therapy dogs.
He took pride in his well-landscaped properties and spotless cars. He was an avid sports fan, watching all 162 Yankee games in a typical season, and the NY Giants every Sunday afternoon with his kids. Don’s love for golf started 30 years ago when he began playing with his two sons, playing both at Lake Mohawk Golf Club in Sparta and Laurel Oak Country Club in Sarasota, FL, where he and Sally have spent their winters since 1998. Sarasota was Don’s happy place and his family was his life.

Don is survived by his beloved wife Sally Ann Tauber of 47 years of Sparta, his daughter Rebecca Nesland and husband John of Ridgewood, NJ, son Andrew Tauber and wife Francesca of Fort Lauderdale, FL, son Dr. Jeffrey Tauber and wife Dr. Kimberly of Sparta, and his sister Marilynne “Lynne” of West Orange, NJ. He also leaves behind his eight loving grandchildren Jack, Tyler, Avery, Reed, Bryce, Sienna, Henry and Sabrina.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at Goble Funeral Home, 22 Main Street, Sparta, NJ 07871. Funeral service will be celebrated Wednesday, April 3, 2019 at 12PM at Lake Mohawk Golf Club, 471 West Shore Trail, Sparta, NJ 07871. Interment will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Don’s memory to either Hackensack University Medical Center, 20 Prospect Avenue, Suite 200, Hackensack, NJ 07601, attention Marites Welch, or to Give Kids a Smile at www.adafoundation.org/en/give-kids-a-smile.
He will be loved and missed everyday by his family and friends.