Monday, June 27, 2022
I met Don as a shy, 14-year-old teenage girl. He married Mom two days before my 15th birthday and became part of our crazy, unique family. Marrying into a blended family with 3 children at home was likely a trying challenge for Don, but he never let it show to me. He brought new ideas, new recipes, and a new prospective to our lives.
When I got a retail job working nights and weekends at West Park Plaza in Ontario, he purchased a bright blue Volkswagen Beetle for me to drive work. This was so exciting until he informed me that it was a stick-shift. I let him know that he had made a mistake because I couldn't drive a stick shift. He gave a chuckle and informed me that it was time to learn, and he was going to teach me. And he did! It actually went smoothly and I really loved driving that car. That was the first time Don taught me that there wasn’t a limit to what I could accomplish if I put my mind to it.
He regularly encouraged my school progress and challenged me when I tried to see myself short. After high school, he and Mom helped with part of my college tuition and continued to push me to be my best. When I decided to suspend college and go another direction, he helped with the wedding costs and gave me away at my wedding!
We were disconnected for a while after that, but several years later when I moved back to Payette with my husband and children, we enjoyed a new phase in life with raising young children of similar ages. There were many fun family meals and events during those years. I moved to Boise in 2000 to finish college and we didn't connect very often. When Mom got sick, we were all together as a family again but it was a very challenging time for all.
A few short weeks ago, I had the chance to visit and reconnect with Don at his apartment in Payette. I shared with him some of the recent changes in my life and my plans for some new future paths. He sat straight up on the couch and with a great big grin on his face and said “Good for you! I am so proud of you.”
Rest in peace Don – you were a tough, strong man who never gave up on anything. It wasn’t an easy journey, but you made it! Please give Mom our love and tell her we miss her!