Donald married his sweetheart, Joann Dance, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on April 15, 1952, while on military furlough from the Korean Wartime Service. Donald is survived by his four children: Christine (David), Scott (Lynn), Curtis (Penny) and Mark (Elizabeth). Donald has nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents William and Mary, bother Richard, a baby sister, and his sweetheart Joann.
Donald attended Ogden High School from 1946 – 1948. Following high school, he worked at Bradshaw Auto Parts as an automobile machinist. He attended Weber State College initially studying Business Accounting. While at Weber State he received his U.S. draft notice to support the Korean War effort. He obtained a school deferment, but after one year decided to pass on the deferment and went into the U.S. Army to serve his Country. Following his military service, he worked as a journeyman machinist for four years at Hill Air Force Base. He then returned to Weber State College and changed his major from Accounting to Mechanical Engineering and completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah in 1960.
After graduation from the University of Utah, Donald went to work at Hercules Aero Space as a Product Design and Development Engineer. His proudest accomplishment was his work as Chief Engineer on the Pegasus Low-Orbit Space Missile which you can see today hanging in the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Donald received several patents associated with work on military and space related programs. So yes, Donald was an actual rocket scientist! Donald retired from Hercules Aero Space/ATK Group after 32 years of service.
Donald loved the outdoors and engaged in a wide variety of hobbies and activities including: camping, hunting, golfing, fly-fishing, motorcycle riding, woodworking, and driving his pumpkin orange 1976 - 911 Porsche with Joann.
Donald loved talking about world events and politics, anything to do with computers and how he could run practically anything on his cell phone from the garage door opener to his new pacemaker and wondered why everyone wasn’t doing it. We will all miss his tenaciousness, messiness, quirkiness, and general fun-loving self.
A short viewing will be held at the Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary located at 3401 South Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday, April 27, 2024, from 10:00 to 10:45 am followed by a graveside service at 11:00 am in the Evergreen Section.
