Obituary of Donald Neal Ryser

Donald Neal Ryser Donald was born on January 31, 1917, to Herman Henry Ryser and Martha Florence (Thompson) Ryser in Agenda, Kansas. After enjoying a thorough exploration of life spanning 91 years, he passed away on March 27, 2008. The eldest of six children, Don was preceded in death by his sister Ruth and brothers David and James. His other brothers, Robert of Fortuna, CA, and Royal of Loveland, CO, recently visited their big brother for a much appreciated final visit. On September 14, 1940, Don married Rosina Vivolo in Seattle, WA. Through all weathers, Rosy was to be the love of his life for the next 67 years. Going strong at 90, Rose survives Don at their home of thirty-eight years in Rochester. Also surviving Don are his sons, Don Jr. and long-time companion Cristine Delmendo of Gig Harbor, and Stephen and wife Leann of Rochester. Four grandchildren, Mark, Alicen, Matthew and Rebecca, along with two great-grandchildren, Asa and Noah, round out the family Don & Rose gave each other. Don entered life in a small farm house just outside of Agenda, Kansas, on a cold January night of 20 below zero. Since electricity and indoor plumbing were still years down the road in this part of America, a wood stove and kerosene lantern provided the heat and light. Learning to farm behind a mule-drawn plow, Don grew up working, hunting, fishing, and trapping to help put food on the table and money toward the family’s needs. As a teenager, Don’s first paying job was working for Republic County, installing utility poles along the county’s roads for the soon-to-be-available household electricity. Graduating from Agenda Rural High School on May 14, 1935, Don decided not to join the majority of his 22 classmates as a permanent Kansas resident. He and a friend hopped a freight train to Chicago and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on June 3, 1935. This began a life of travel and appreciation for other cultures and people around the world. Don spent most of his four-year enlistment in China, in both Shanghai and Peking, and aboard the USS Pennsylvania. He immediately reenlisted, this time in the United States Army. He spent the latter part of World War II on the remote Aleutian island of Shemya, where the U.S. had its western most airfield from which it sent bombers to Japan. With a wife and one son, Don left military service in August of 1945. Most of Don’s post-military working life was spent in the wholesale photofinishing field, starting as a technician and concluding his career as a manager. Always looking to the future, he accurately predicted the demise of film photography many years ahead of the digital camera boom. Don moved the family from Hayward, California, to work for Wayne’s Photo Finishing in Chehalis in 1969. 13 years and a few million of rolls of film later, he retired from Transamerica Film Service in 1982. Shortly after retirement, Don traveled to St. Beatenburg, Switzerland, to visit the hometown of his grandfather Jacob Ryser, who originally immigrated to the U.S. in 1871. Other trips took Don to the Philippines, Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, and most of the lower 48 states. Road trips were his passion, having driven as far south as Mazatlan, Mexico, and north through Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, to the Arctic Circle. Don attributed his longevity and good health to his many years of hunting, fishing, and backpacking in the high Cascades, including a successful climb to the summit of Mt. Adams. Having achieved Expert Rifle status as a military rifleman, Don was well known as the best shot in the family and filled many freezers with game and fish over the years. Not a church-going person, he found his sanctuary in the wild outdoors. The sound of Canada geese passing overhead or coyotes singing him to sleep in hunting camp were the hymns of his life. Documenting Don’s life would take months and fill volumes: Marine, soldier, Morse code radio operator, outdoorsman, patron member of the National Rifle Association, airplane pilot, gardener, woodworker, gold prospector, beer & wine maker, Internet surfer, sports fan, baseball enthusiast, photographer, wild mushroom hunter, rock hound and much, much more. Simply stated, Don Ryser was a good man. One who loved and supported his family and his country, pursuing and obtaining happiness along the way. Honest, moral, loyal, and a rugged individualist—rare traits in today’s world—Don will be remembered with honor and great fondness by those of us left behind. Don, your life on earth was a job well done, you will be missed. Rest in peace. An 11:00 a.m. graveside service was held at the Grand Mound Cemetery, 6300 183rd Ave SW, Rochester, WA, on April 3, 2008. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the American Heart Association, online at http://honor.americanheart.org/goto/DonaldRyser, or by mail to: American Heart Association, 710 2nd Ave, Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98104.