Don at the 50th

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November 17, 2020
Journal Entry by Brenda Mallett
Don’s Last Caring Bridge November 25, 2020      

And so we come to our saddest posting to date—-in the early morning hours of November 17th, Don passed away peacefully in his sleep.  For two years he fought Stage IV pancreatic cancer accepting an aggressive chemotherapy treatment schedule without complaint, never asking ‘why me’; he always kept a positive yet realistic attitude facing this disease and retained his sense of humor throughout the journey.  He said from the beginning, “I am an old man and I have lived a good life”  so there was never anger or bitterness that as Dr G said, “you got the short straw” because he had no risk factors and was in excellent health when diagnosed.  If you talked with him, he always spoke his mantra:  “it is what it is”.  We are heartbroken and yet we are so grateful he did not suffer a lingering prolonged passing—he definitely did not want that.  In the final months he would often remark that what was important in life were the relationships he had built over the years and he felt blessed and lucky to have so many loving circles of friends supporting him and the family.  Our family thanks you for your loving friendship.

Here is the obituary that ran in the Seattle Times, Sunday November 29th.
In the early morning hours of November 17 Donald Arthur Mallett, loving husband, father and grandfather, passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 77.  Don was born in Iowa City, Iowa on May 30, 1943 and was raised in West Lafayette, Indiana by his loving parents, Catherine and Donald.  Don graduated from Northwestern University in 1965 and from UW Law School in 1968.  While at NU he joined Phi Delta Theta making life-long friends, and it was there he met Brenda McClure on a blind date, married her four years later in 1966, and they enjoyed 54 wonderful years together.  Don joined the US Navy as a JAGC officer in 1968 and served overseas at U. S. Naval Base, Subic Bay, Philippines during Viet Nam; returning stateside he served at Sandpoint Naval Air Station.   He retired from the Naval Reserves in 1997 attaining the rank of Captain, JAGC, USNR.  The Navy provided a lifetime of memories and friendships, experiences beyond imagination, and a deep, abiding belief in the importance of protecting our democracy.

Don’s legal practice focused on family law and he was respected for his integrity, unimpeachable ethics, quick wit and a wonderful sense of humor.  Don loved his family, his church, Husky football, the Navy, Mutiny Bay on Whidbey Island and yard work roughly in that order.  In his lifetime he climbed Mt. Rainier, ran 5 marathons, loved history and enjoyed world travel. He ran with a running group out of the downtown YMCA for over 30 years and they continued to meet long after they stopped running.  Reunions with the Subic Bay naval group were an annual highlight and testament to the bonds formed while overseas.   Don also loved giving back: as a member of University Congregational United Church of Christ he sang in the choir for 47 years, served as Moderator and Co-Chaired a capital campaign, and served on numerous boards and committees; through his loyal work on the Dale Turner Family YMCA Board for 35 years; and to a new found interest supporting Camp Pilgrim Firs in Port Orchard.  Don’s commitment to helping others will always be remembered.

Don is survived by his wife Brenda, sons Marc and Ross, his brother Craig, his grandchildren Anika, Eloise, Quinn and Langley and several cousins, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and his sister Janice.   A memorial service will be planned for next Spring when we can joyously celebrate a life well lived.  In lieu of flowers the family suggests gifts in memory of Don to University Congregational UCC where they will be used for enhancing music opportunities and launching new initiatives,https://www.universityucc.org; to the Dale Turner Family YMCA, please note, “Food Resources in honor of Don Mallett” in the comments, https://www.seattleymca.org/donate/dale-turner-ymca; to the Lustgarten Foundation, Pancreatic Cancer Research athttps://lustgarten.org .  The family would like to thank Dr. Phillip J Gold at Swedish Cancer Care for his  excellent care of Don and Evergreen Hospice for their exceptional compassion and service.