Donald
Arthur Mallett
May 30, 1943 - November 17, 2020
In the
early morning hours of November 17th 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 30th, 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
theyenjoyed 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 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 (Lenore) and Ross (Meika), 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 ;
the Dale Turner Family YMCA "Food Resources in honor of Don
Mallett", https://www.seattleymca.org/donate/dale-turner-ymca;
the Lustgarten Foundation, Pancreatic Cancer Research at https://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.
Published
on November 29, 2020
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