Don was born and lived his entire life in Colorado and was proud to be a true native of the state he loved. Don served his county on the battleship Iowa and an additional combined 40 years in the Army and Air National Guard achieving the senior rank of Chief Warrant Officer.
After his tour of active duty Don returned to Denver and performed with the Denver symphony orchestra where he met and later married Marjorie Clowes on August 22nd 1954. Both were highly accomplished musicians. They were married for over 44 years before Marge went to be with the Lord on August 6th 1998.
Don and Marge shared a passion for the outdoors and spent many weekends with their children enjoying camping, hiking, snowmobiling, 4x4 exploring, fishing and boating. It seemed there was always a new and exciting adventure planned.
After earning his master's degree from University of Colorado Don became a dedicated and highly respected teacher at multiple Denver area schools. He retired after teaching band and electronics technology at Arvada West High school for most of his career. His marching bands won multiple state competitions and the passion he instilled in his electronics students inspired them to achieve distinguished careers at MIT, NASA and Bell Laboratories.
Don had a passion for helping others and made many lifelong friends volunteering with the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, FEMA, and State of Colorado emergency services to name just a few. He was also an avid amateur radio enthusiast and was very involved with multiple volunteer organizations. One of his of his greatest joys was teaching HAM certification classes to a new generation of operators.
In his later years Don was well liked by his caregivers and known for his friendship, humor, and especially his love for sharing jokes.
Don and Marge leave an incredible legacy with their 3 children as well as 13 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren.
Don was loved by many and will be greatly missed.