Biography: Donald Carl De Luca, PhD of Little Rock, Arkansas died January 21, 2014. He was born May 24, 1936 in Amsterdam, New York to the late Avery De Luca and Margaret Hamilton De Luca. After the tragic death of his mother Margaret, his father remarried Helen Stephenson De Luca and she legally adopted, raised and loved him. Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Arlene De Luca; two sons, Matthew De Luca (Sandra) and Kenny De Luca (Jeanne); grand daughters, Anne Marie & Samantha and Diane & Paige; his brother, David De Luca (Ellen); sister, Carol Hunter PhD(Bob) and all his nieces and nephews. Donald graduated from Sharon Springs Central High School (Sharon Springs, NY), and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY) with a degree in Chemical Engineering; he was co-captain of the basketball team. He graduated from University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) with a PhD in biochemistry. He went on to serve two years in the US Army Chemical Corps and was honorably discharged in 1965 as a 1st Lieutenant. At the time of his death he was an Associate Professor Emeritus in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department at UAMS. He was active in Gordon Setter field trial competitions and enjoyed spending time with family, especially attending sports events and special occasions for his grand daughters. The funeral service will be at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, January 24, 2014, officiated by Rev. Jay Clark. Interment will be at Sharon Springs Cemetery, Sharon Springs, New York. Honorary pallbearers will be Marge Brewster, PhD, Kevin Rainey, PhD, Timothy Chambers, PhD, Grady Smith, PhD, Manford Morris, PhD, Yun-Chi Yeh, PhD, Charles Venus, Eddie Umgelter, MD, John Ward, and Jim McDonald. The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and therapists at UAMS and Baptist Rehabilitation Institute. Further thanks to everyone for their cards, notes, and expressions of sympathy during this time of bereavement. In lieu of flowers please make a contribution to the non-profit organization of your choice. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com