Donald Herman Bambeck

Donald Herman Bambeck, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, March 19, 2023. He was 88 years old and recently professed, “I’ve lived a good life.” He was a friend to all and cherished time with his family. He was graced with a lengthy retirement since 2000 and enjoyed walks with friends, talking about history and genealogy, working on crossword and Sudoku puzzles, and frequently knowing the responses to many of Jeopardy!’s most obscure answers.

Don was born in New Philadelphia, Ohio, on January 29, 1935, and grew up in neighboring Dover, Ohio, where he worked at a local grocery store as a teen. Taught by priests at a seminary in Pennsylvania, he traveled away from home early. After choosing to leave the seminary, he joined the Navy, spending 20 years traveling to Turkey, Africa, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama, Japan, multiple U.S. locations and more. Along the way, he met his wife Madeleine in Delaware while training in Bainbridge, Maryland. They were married in April 1964 and welcomed three children over the next decade.

His final Naval assignment brought the family to Gaithersburg, Maryland, where Don retired from the Navy and began his 26-year career as a Software Engineer with COMSAT. He worked at the L’Enfant Plaza location in downtown Washington, DC, for many years as well as in the COMSAT Labs located in Clarksburg, Maryland. During his career, Don traveled extensively to Geneva, Malaysia, Singapore, and Paris to manage communications projects, culminating with the acquisition of and training for telecommunications equipment manufactured in France.

Through the years, Don was involved in his children’s activities and other community endeavors, including a lengthy “career” as a swim meet judge, religious educator, loyal member of his church community, and dedicated donor to more than 100 charities and organizations dear to his heart.

Don is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Mary Madeleine Bambeck, their daughters and sons-in-law, Angela and Dan Brooks and Dianne and Doug Anderson, as well as two grandchildren, Bridget and Trevor Anderson. He is also survived by a sister-in-law, Rosemary Bambeck, and several nieces, cousins, and nephews. Don is preceded in death by both parents and both siblings – one sister and one brother – as well as a beloved son, Paul Dean Bambeck.

Friends may attend a Christian Funeral Liturgy at St. Rose of Lima Parish, located at 11701 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 on Friday, March 31, 2023 from 11 AM to 12 PM. Friends may also gather at De Vol Funeral Home on the same date from 2 PM to 4 PM, located at 10 East Deer Park Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Don’s name to the American Lung Association.