In Memoriam

Meyer, Donald D.
1916 – 2007

Donald Meyer Born May 16, 1916, slipped his moorage for the last time on June 11, 2007 at age 91. Born May 16, 1916 in Watertown, South Dakota, Don's family moved to Portland Oregon when Don was still quite young. Don's father built a houseboat on the Willamette River for his young family. Don had many stories about his adventures on the bank of the river, crossing over to SW Portland to attend school, learning to swim, playing with his dog Nugget. He watched his dad build the house and learned from him that if you set your mind to something you can surely accomplish it. Don's father eventually bought a grocery store in NE Portland; he learned to cut meat and managed to keep his business open through the depression. Don worked in the store delivering groceries all around Portland—even before he was legally old enough to have a driver's license. Times have changed! Don attended Grant High School in Portland and graduated in 1934.

Don had to work very hard to get a college education in the 1930's. He first attended the Oregon Institute of Technology and then Oregon State University. Don had a job at a credit reporting company to help finance his college education. It was there that he met his future bride, Rebecca Klaus. Don graduated from OSU in 1940 with a degree in aeronautical engineering and immediately started working at Boeing in Seattle. Don commuted to Portland on the weekends to continue courting Becky. They married in June of 1942, sixty-five years ago, and began their life together in Seattle.

Together Don and Rebecca raised three daughters, Eileen, Marilyn, and Barbara. Don and Becky moved to a little house in Belvedere Terrace in 1946 and stayed and played in that neighborhood until they moved to The Hearthstone six years ago.

Don worked at Boeing for 41 years. He worked on many different projects there. One of the first was the B-29 then other design projects, both commercial and defense & space, including the 707-80, missile systems, 747 lower lobe galleys and other 747 designs. Don & Wes Mauldin worked together on the “Dash 80” wing design when the -80 airplane was a very tightly held secret – not because of military secrecy but rather for commercial/competitive reasons – Boeing did not want Douglas to even know they were thinking of such a project let alone get to detail design.

In 1956 he built and launched his first "Moonbeam," a 20' outboard cruiser. The whole family enjoyed many summers of boating on this and subsequent "Moonbeams." The lessons of perseverance he learned from his own father served him well during the two years of evenings and weekends he spent in the garage planning, sawing, driving screws, painting, and dreaming to finish this project. He moored the boat at Sand Point Yacht Club where everyone admired its beauty. His first little Moonbeam soon grew too small; it was followed by a second and later a third Moonbeam. The family all still look for the first Moonbeam whenever they are near the water.

Don and Becky were active members of Maple Leaf Lutheran Church. Don's activities included serving on the congregation board, as president of the congregation, and singing in the choir.

His daughters grew up, graduated from college and married. Soon there were five grandchildren. Don was so pleased to see three of his grandchildren marry and present him with three great grandchildren. Don built paper airplanes with his grandkids, popped popcorn on every suitable occasion, could explain “lift”, “mathematical induction” and even helped make paper dolls one rainy day. One time he got some surplus fabric from Boeing and sat at the sewing machine making drapes for the family home. He built an outdoor fireplace and grill in his backyard and was the master of shish kebab and other meaty wonders. He loved to put garlic in everything.

Captain Meyer joined Queen City in 1968 and was an extraordinary participating and contributing member. While members of QCYC, the Meyers owned two boats, a 26' Trojan express cruiser and then in 1975 Don bought the brand new 34' Tollycraft sedan that he and Becky cruised until 2002. He served as club Chaplain starting in 1971 through 1999, club Secretary in 1979, was Stag Cruise Chair and named recipient of the Commodore's Trophy in 1982, Family Visitation Chair in 1985, was chair or a participant in the Bremerton Skit Programs in 1985 through the early 1990s and 8-Bells Chair from 1992 through 2001! Don was famous for his acting in the Bremerton Yacht Club's “Rubber Clam Gun Trophy” skits and Queen City Entertainment Night programs. He played the “Old Man of the Sea”, the seaman for “South Pacific” acted in the famous “Elwha” ferry skit, was Harpo Marx and many other stage characters. The four years Don organized the skits, QCYC won each competition! Don & Becky cruised many years with fellow Queen City members and participated in as many functions, cruises, lighted boat parades and socials as they possibly could. Many a weekend and vacation weeks were spent enjoying the club camaraderie at our Winslow outstation. The Al Smiths remember cruising to Desolation with Don & Becky and then a “big ship” cruise to Alaska and renting a car to sightsee from Anchorage to Fairbanks and Denali celebrating a wedding anniversary on the shortest night of the year!

After Don retired, he and Becky went on many journeys together including Greece, Europe, the Panama Canal, Egypt and the Holy Lands, Australia and New Zealand, Alaska, Mexico, Hawaii, and several Caribbean cruises.

Family, QCYC members, fellow church members, neighbors, colleagues and friends will miss his boundless kindness, his arsenal of jokes, his stories and sense of adventure. Thought it fitting to bury Don in one of his favorite Hawaian shirts and blue blazer – the shirt for his fun stories and maybe the blue blazer for the uniform of Boeing and QCYC that he served for so long and faithfully.

Don is survived by Becky, his loving wife of 65 years, his three daughters, Eileen (Bob) Knobbs, Marilyn (Myron) Sizer, and Barbara (John) Newby, his five grandchildren, Karl (Amy) Knobbs, Siri Hoogen (Ethan Sperry), Malaika (Matt) Brown, Austen Hoogen, and Ian Knobbs, and three great grandchildren, Elora and Toby Knobbs, and Max Sperry.