Donald Tracy Galarneau

After visits from friends and family, Donald Galarneau passed away peacefully at Emanuel Hospital on Aug. 20, 2016. He was born in North Portland in 1924 to parents Ann and Joseph Galarneau. As a boy, he attended Holy Redeemer grade school and enjoyed taking in 10 cent movies at the Blue Mouse movie theater. Donald graduated from Jefferson High in 1942, and the following week he enlisted in the US Army Air Corps, where he was trained as a radio operator. He crewed a B-24 Liberator based at Clark Field, Philippines.

On Aug. 9, 1945 after dodging 16 rounds of flak to complete a bombing mission over Matsuyama, Japan, Donald and his crew mates witnessed a plume of smoke rising into the atmosphere 400 kilometers to the southwest. The smoke plume originated in Nagasaki, site of the second and final wartime atomic bomb detonation in history. Donald was the final surviving member of his B-24 crew, a crew that carried out 35 raids without losing a single man.

After the war, Donald attended the University of Portland on the GI Bill, where he received a degree in Physics. Diploma in hand, he went down to the General Electric facility on Swan Island and landed a job doing service work. The next plant over housed the field engineers, and Donald thought it looked like they were enjoying themselves quite a bit more. He volunteered his time on weekends helping them out and learning more about the job. A year later he was offered a job as field engineer, working on trains, generators, and transformers. He would hold that position for the next 30 years.

Donald loved to travel, and his work took him all over; from Alaska, to California, even to Saudi Arabia. He was active in the Ham radio community, amateur photography (for which he had a darkroom in his home), avid car enthusiast and machinist. He was also a great fisherman.

Donald’s favorite activity, however, was giving back to his community, his church, and to his alma mater. Portland’s Catholic radio station, 88.3 KBVM got off the ground in the early 1990’s with the help of Donald’s technical skills and, if anyone in the community was having reception problems, he would personally pay a visit to their home and sort out the problem. For many years he also hosted “Don’s Power Hour” during the station’s bi-annual fundraiser: he would match any pledge made during his one hour on the air. At the University of Portland, aside from his consistent generosity, he was also very involved in the Engineering school’s racing program. Within the Shiley School of Engineering, the “Donald Galarneau Automated Manufacturing Lab” is named in his honor.

Another of Donald’s great pleasures in life was spending time with his family. Though he was a lifelong bachelor, getting together with his sister JoAnn’s extended family at their homes for holidays - or the Old Country Kitchen for birthdays – was something he enjoyed very much. He always saved room for ice cream, and was known to advise his great-nieces and nephews that “Life’s short, eat dessert first.”

Donald’s generosity knew no bounds, and he will be missed by the many people that he touched. His family will miss his deep laugh and big heart, though we will always carry with us his most famous phrase, shared with the table after grace at each and every meal: “Dig in kids, go easy on the butter.”

He is survived by his sister JoAnn Doyle, nephew Joe Doyle, niece Tracy (Greg) Bair, and niece Mary (Scott) Willis.

Recitation of the Rosary will be at 9:30 a.m., Monday, Aug. 29, 2016 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church. Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10 a.m. with a reception immediately thereafter on site.