A More Storied Life Has Rarely Been Lived

The son of Irish immigrants, Don lived a life of adventures, one after another.  As the second of seven children, born to Dominic & Helen (Cleary) Caulfield, his life has come full circle.  Don was born at Saint Joseph's Hospital, in St Paul, MN; and fatefully passed away, at Saint Joseph's Hospital, in Bellingham, WA.

Don spent much of his youth camping, at as many of those legendary "Thousand Lakes" as possible.  He also swam across the Mississippi River, after the ice broke, on a dare.  We never did find out how long Grandpa & Grandma grounded him for that one.  In high school, he excelled in all things mathematical and sports of choice, swimming & track.  In fact, he set state records in each sport (for example: a 4 minute, and 31 second 1-mile running time) that went unchallenged for many years.

One pivotal day, as a recent high school graduate running through life without a care in the world, he was stopped dead in his tracks by the striking beauty of a young lady, for whom he would move heaven and earth.  Eloping a mere six weeks later, and shortly after that, running off to the warm draw of sunshine coming from the golden state of California.  Once there, Don would take whatever job(s) he could, to finance their grand adventure.  He washed dishes, set print for a local newspaper, and worked as a Tool & Die maker.  He often worked two full time jobs, concurrently.  Young Donald had plenty of energy, knowing that together, they would create the world of their choosing without ever looking back.

His love for mathematics would serve him well, as he entered into our nation's space program, in its infancy.  As an experimental machinist, he was part of a team tasked with taking the "on-paper" precision details of engineered design to achieve proper launch, orbit, and re-entry calculations; and turning them into the physical guidance control mechanisms required to send our astronauts into space; and then bring them home again, safely.  Throughout his career in aerospace, he had his hand in many familiar projects: the Saturn V & the entire Apollo series: Lunar Lander; Viking (Mars) Rover; Galileo; the Nike Zeus & Polaris, as well as various other military missiles.  Then there is the ever-mysterious category of "I could tell you, but ... well, you know the rest" of classified government projects.  All the while, remaining involved at home, with his family more than you imagine a person could, considering such a phenomenal career.

Speaking of family, he longed to take his family out of the hustle & bustle of California and find a life more in tune with the beat of his heart.  Dad & Mom were delighted to find a perfect match, with island life here on Fidalgo.  As the story goes, they have each been known to say, "We probably should have been born here."  They purchased Lake Erie Grocery, moving from the Los Angeles area, to begin running the store, in 1976.  The tight knit community of this beloved island has been more like family, throughout the years.  We hope you all know how much you have meant to our family, and how grateful we are for your friendship.

Don drew his final breath at 2:14 pm, and is preceded in death, in 2019 by Gerry, his wife of 67 years, who coincidentally drew her final breath at 2:14 am.  They were also preceded by their infant sons Pat & Mike; his siblings: John, Austin, Tom, Peggy, and Eileen.  He is survived by his adult children: Thomas (Sandra), Joseph (Pat), Eileen, Jim (Nicki), Bob (Kari), Catherine (Todd), Jon (April); his sister Kay (Terry); sisters-in-law, Jackie, and Joan; numerous grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; nieces, and nephews, both the great & the regular varieties.

To share memories of Donald, please sign the online guestbook at https://www.evanschapel.com