Donald Eugene Koontz

Donald Eugene Koontz was born on Thursday, March 1, 1934, at home in Clear Creek, Indiana. His father, Noble Koontz, and mother, Blanche Kelley Koontz, were faithful Christians and loving parents. They provided a family life of care, hard work, learning from each other, being active in Church – and having fun! Don and his four siblings, Bob, Howard, Glenn and Rosella have favorite childhood memories included riding down the hill in an old wagon, their dog, Tootsie, and their grandparents’ icehouse where they kept ice over the summer. The family moved from Indiana to Hoquiam and Aberdeen, Washington by train in 1941. Here Don and Glenn added paper routes to their adventures and family fun. Later, the family moved to Capitol Hill in Seattle where Don attended grade school. Their life was centered around the church where Noble was an Elder, Blanche invited every visitor home for dinner on Sundays – and the children expanded any Sunday School program that they were in. Don was active in Boy Scouts, playing in Volunteer Park, getting into trouble after sneaking out at night to play, – and ran track. The family moved to Mt. Vernon in about 1950. Don began competitive sports. Don boxed and ran cross-country and track. Don was Skagit County Champion in the 880-yard run two years in a row in 1951 and 1952. Upon graduating from Mt. Vernon High School in 1952, he attended Pepperdine College in Los Angeles where he received a scholarship in track that helped him pay tuition. After two years in the Army, Don returned to Pepperdine on the GI Bill. During a Christmas break, Don met the love of his life, Kay Kalberg, in Bellevue, and began a love story that would last over 62 years. Don and Kay were married in August of 1958. Their love for each other and devotion to God and their family carried them through great times and difficult times, and they always stayed true to each other. Their favorite times were family camping trips with the Gash family (Don’s sister’s family), traveling the world after retirement, moving to Mukilteo, WA to be close to their children and grandchildren, being involved with the church, and spending time with each other. Don received a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Pepperdine. His professional career included banking, Alumni Director at Pepperdine College, an instructor of college business courses including at Columbia Christian College, and a school bus driver, which he loved! In each occupation, Don’s passion was always building honest and meaningful relationships with people. His ubiquitous smile was his trademark in both his professional and personal life. Don and Kay were blessed with four children. In 1971 they moved their family from southern California to Vancouver, Washington, where they would raise their children, become leaders in their church, and pillars in their community. Don’s “free” time was spent with his family – youth sports, school programs, church programs, camping trips, water and snow skiing, and teaching them a work ethic (especially in the yard). His request of his kids for Father’s Day was always “give me an hour in the yard.” And they did, reluctantly. He led family celebrations at holidays, whether it was stringing popcorn for the Christmas Tree or carving pumpkins for Halloween. When his kids were teenagers, he made sure they knew they could call him at any hour day or night, if they needed any kind of help, no questions asked. He always made sure they had a quarter to make a phone call – that was before cell phones – and later advised them to keep a $20 bill hidden in their wallets for emergencies (advice that at least one child still follows). A major part of Don’s life was his faith in God, his love of Jesus and his love of the church. There was never a time during his adult years that he was not involved in a local church, teaching classes when needed, and leading a home fellowship group (for at least 40 years!) Don’s gift was serving others – visiting those in the hospital, providing help when needed and most notably praying at any time for anyone. Whenever eating out at a restaurant, he would almost always ask the server if there was “something I could pray about for you?” With very few exceptions the server had something on their heart that they asked him to pray for. We wonder how many people in heaven are blessed by the prayers of Don Koontz! He served as an elder for Vancouver Church of Christ and Northwest Church over a 40-year span. Finally, Don’s love for his family was right there with his faith in God. He was so proud of his 4 children, their spouses and his 12 grandchildren. He wanted to be with them in celebrations, birthday lunches, school performances, sporting events, graduations, and of course weddings and baptisms. His motto – “remember you’re a Koontz!” went out the door with them whenever they were off on a trip or making difficult decisions. As we reflect on Don’s life and hear how he affected the lives of people in a myriad of places and circumstances – his was “a wonderful life.” So many said, “I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Don Koontz.” His generosity was profound. His love and care for others made the difference in their lives. His smile said, “I love you; I want to help you; and I want to be with you.” Don died peacefully on December 14, 2020. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Kay, his children Mollie Koontz Wilson (and Peter Wilson), Don Koontz (and Lisa Meltvedt Koontz), Susan Koontz Lee (and Chris Lee), and Mark Koontz (and Claire Bradley), 12 grandchildren – Gabriella, Christopher, Reid, Anna, Grace, Isabella, Allison, Ava, Christian, Sophia, Benjamin and Charles – his brother Glenn Koontz, sister Rosella Gash, and by countless nieces, nephews and friends that were like family. A celebration of Don’s life will be scheduled when it is safe for us to gather. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Lahai Health, a medical, dental and counseling clinic for low income and uninsured people. 19820 Scriber Lake Road, Suite #2, Lynnwood, WA 98036.