Donald Herbert Schlender

Donald “Don” Schlender

December 28, 1942 – October 7, 2025

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Donald “Don” Herbert Schlender on October 7, 2025, in Olympia, Washington, at age 82 from heart failure.

Don was born on December 28, 1942, in Beulah, North Dakota, one of five children of William George Schlender and Melitta (Hoffner) Schlender. His radio mechanic father and housewife mother were encouraged by a cousin - stationed in the Army at Fort Lewis - to consider moving to Washington for better opportunities. They loaded up their five young children and traveled by train to Olympia when Don was nine years old. Just three short years later, his father suddenly passed away, leaving his resilient and resourceful single German mother to find work to support her five children. She began cleaning houses in the South Capitol neighborhood for the Schmidt families, founders of the Olympia Brewing Company. As the new men of the house with three young sisters, older brother Marv and Don had to take on more responsibility than most their age. Mom did not know how to drive. Don would awaken early to help his big brother with his paper route – rain or shine - so he could save money for a car to get Mom to the grocery store and doctor appointments. And so began a life of hard work, good values, humility, simplicity, integrity, and family.

Don graduated from Olympia High School in 1961. He held jobs at Lesnick News, which processed and delivered magazines to downtown businesses, and the Elks Club cleaning the bar on graveyard shift. He fondly remembered that the bartenders would knock the tip change to the floor for him to collect and keep for himself. He also worked at Auvenen’s Flying A gas station on Capitol Way next to the Greyhound bus station for a couple years.

Don met his first wife, LaRay Jean Armstrong, when she was attending Centralia Junior College. She encouraged Don to attend also, which he did, taking art classes for one year. They married in 1965 and had two children - son Brandt Hoffner Schlender and daughter Britta Johanna (Schlender) Echtle – his proudest accomplishments, whom he loved dearly. He left college to find work to support his young family, first at a sawmill at the Port of Olympia where he and a small crew of others manually offloaded heavy plywood boards just cut from a log and placed them on a processing cart for others. He hated this job - and did not use that word often or lightly. It was very physical, hard work and the workers were not treated well, he’d say. However, he stuck it out for two years to support his young family.

In 1966, Don’s father-in-law, Oakie Armstrong, a longtime employee of the Olympia Brewing Company (OBC), encouraged Don to apply. He did, and thus began his 30-year career as a proud OBC employee and Teamster union member. “Best job I ever had”, he said countless times over the years, largely due to the incredibly caring and giving Schmidt family owners and business leaders who are still revered in the Olympia community and elsewhere. He worked in a couple of different production areas before settling in the bottle shop where he worked for thirty years. His favorite position was “Break Man”, giving breaks to the hardworking men and women working the canning, bottling and packaging lines. He was able to move around, learn all of the various jobs, and get to know his fellow workers this way. His strong work ethic did not stop at work. He built their first family home at age 30 on Wiggins Road in Olympia, and a second a few years later off Johnson Point Road. He loved home construction. Don was meticulous in everything he did. No shortcutting, no scrimping, always a “do it right the first time” kind of builder, even for his birds and pets. Don and LaRay were married for 22 years.

 In 1993, he married the woman who would become the love of his life for the next 32 years, Carol Jeanne (Hekel) Schlender. Carol had also worked at the brewery since 1983, but in the Quality Control Department where their paths rarely crossed. They met when a co-worker of Don’s encouraged him to ask her out. He did, and the rest is history. They married at the Schmidt Mansion (original home of the Olympia Brewing Company founders, now a historical event site) across the street from the brewery, surrounded by family, friends, and co-workers, many of whom still remain close friends to this day. They were each other’s best friend and together the morning of his peaceful passing on October 7.

 With 30 years of service and eligible for an early retirement offer, Don happily retired from the brewery at just 54 years young in 1996 to pursue his two longtime loves of raising birds (exotic finches, doves and quail) and woodworking. Don’s fascination with birds began as a child growing up in Olympia. He recalled tagging along with his folks to the local feed store to get free chicks to raise eggs for the family. This spawned an interest in trying to raise and sell his own birds, which he did as a teenager. Although the “bird of the moment” may have changed over the years from the ordinary to the exotic, his fascination with and deep connection to all birds remained constant until his passing. He built many a “bird room” and outside aviary in and around their Olympia home (literally) of 31 years. He spent hours observing, listening and talking to his caged birds, as well as those passing through the protected wetland area that their home overlooked.

In the 1980’s, a surprise birthday gift to meet and talk with a local competitive woodcarver inspired him to carve his first duck out of wood. He had always loved working with wood, but his experience was mostly in a carpentry or construction kind of way, not a creative, artistic way. Being self-taught, his woodcarvings started very simple and eventually became more true-to-life as he added feather detail with a wood burning pencil and paint for natural color. Raising his own birds provided a close-up study of their anatomy, plumage, and personality, which helped him with this. He later introduced exotic hardwoods, adding a whole new edge and appearance. He became a gifted artist and woodcarver, making incredibly beautiful all-handtooled birds, both abstract and true-to-life. He sold a number of them in local art galleries and was so touched in his final days hearing from friends and family who’d been gifted or purchased one of his pieces in the past and who still proudly displayed it in their home.

 Don was also a car enthusiast, known around town for his fire engine red ’40 Ford Coupe in his brewery days. He loved art, music, musical instruments, played the drums, and was sought after by the young ones at family gatherings for his spot-on Donald Duck impression. He was a man of many talents, skills, and interests too numerous to list, yet equally modest, humble, simple, and sentimental with a heart of gold. He loved his wife and family deeply and was heartbroken when, due to declining health, he realized he would not be able to meet his 7th great-grandchild, baby girl Schlender, due in January, or to travel to Canada again to see his granddaughters and their families. Papa, you will always be in our hearts and never forgotten. Thank you for the privilege of being in your life. We will see you again someday.

Don is survived by his wife of 32 years, Carol (Hekel) Schlender, and beloved Norwich Terrier Winston Schlender of their home in Olympia, WA; son Brandt Hoffner Schlender and wife Lisa (Hjelm) Schlender of Shelton, WA (grandson Jack Schlender, Shelton, WA, and grandson Cole Schlender, US Navy, and wife Cheyanne Schlender); daughter Britta Johanna (Schlender) Echtle of Mercer Island, WA (granddaughter Jourdan (Echtle) Gray and husband William Gray and great-grandchildren Asher, Micah, Ruth and Eden, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; and granddaughter Sheldyn (Echtle) Asman and husband Cameron Asman and greatgrandchildren Kaya and Luwyn, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; sister Rosetta (Schlender) Morris of Olympia, WA; sister Nellie (Schlender) Sackrider of Centralia, WA; sister Mary (Schlender) Libhart of Olympia, WA; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and their extended families. Don was preceded in death by his brother Marv Schlender, of Olympia, WA (wife Claire Schlender) and parents William George Schlender and Melitta (Hoffner) Schlender.

 A memorial service will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 15th at Lacey Community Center, 6729 Pacific Ave SE, Lacey, WA, 98503, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers or gifts, memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice that serves to protect birds, pets, or the environment.