Donald VanDragt

Donald “Don” VanDragt, age 73, passed away on Friday, August 14, in Arvada, Colorado. Don was born March 15, 1942, in Battle Creek, Michigan, to Grace and Eugene VanDragt. After graduating from Battle Creek Central High School, he attended Michigan State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Packaging Engineering. While at MSU, he met Patricia Martin and they were married on August 13, 1966. After working a short time for General Motors, the couple moved to the northwest suburbs of Chicago, where their two daughters were born and Don worked for Honeywell. During these early years he served in the Air National Guard and he earned his Masters of Business Administration from Loyola University in Chicago. In 1974, they moved to Midland, Michigan, when Don began his 23-year career with Dow Chemical. The family moved to Lake Jackson, Texas, when he transferred to Dow’s Texas Operations in 1979, advancing his career in operations and project management. He retired from Dow in 1997, but continued to work as a contract engineer and project manager for a few years. His wife died in 2005. In 2011, he moved to Golden, Colorado, to live near his youngest daughter and his beloved Colorado mountains. Don will always be remembered as an outdoorsman and traveler, whether it was fishing on the Texas Gulf Coast with his buddies, driving a camper trailer through Alaska, or backpacking in New Zealand. He coached many youth softball and soccer teams and contributed greatly to the development of the girls’ youth soccer program in Lake Jackson. Don also never met a dog he didn’t like, and there’s never been a dog that didn’t love Don. Don is survived by his daughters Kellie (Marc) Wiersma of Parkville, Missouri, and Kristin VanDragt of Golden, Colorado; grandchildren: Anna, Ryne and Grace Wiersma of Parkville, Missouri, and his sisters: Laura (Keith) Bloomensaat of Chelsea, Michigan, and Jean (Jeff) Willbur of Battle Creek, Michigan. He was preceded in death by his parents, Eugene and Grace, and his wife of 38 years, Patricia. A celebration of Don’s life will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 22, 2005, at the Olinger Crown Hill Pavilion of Reflection. Memorial donations may be made to the National Park Foundation (www.nationalpark.org or 202-796-2515).