Donald Joseph Dee

Donald Joseph Dee, 90, died Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at Springdale Village skilled nursing center in Mesa, AZ. He was alone at the time due to Covid-19, but was receiving daily calls from family members. On his last day, he was able to talk on the phone and view a family photo displayed on a nurse’s iPad. The photo of his granddaughter Kelly in her graduation gown made him smile.

An interment at Mariposa Gardens in Mesa, AZ will be held at a later date when grandchildren and their families can be present.

Don was born on January 20, 1930 to William Joseph and Mary Louise (Stadler) Dee in Faribault, MN. He was the 4th of 9 children and the only one born in the house at 1224 Division Street. He graduated Faribault High School in 1947 where his football team went undefeated with opponents only scoring 6 points all season.

He delivered milk, worked for Nutting Truck & Castor Co, and the railroad before joining the Army National Guard at 18. He remained in the states when the Guard was called up during the Korean War and once served as an honor guard for President Truman.

After his service, he began his 30-year career in the phone company as a lineman climbing poles. He met and married Ruth Powers from Shakopee who was a phone operator at the time. They have one son, Michael.

Work took Don to Santa Maria, CA where he worked for General Telephone. His switchroom telephone work took him to Vandenberg AFB, Oxnard, and finally Santa Monica, CA. At General Telephone, Don worked his way up to superintendent responsible for all the coastal switch rooms serving the stars from Santa Monica to Malibu. He retired from a corporate position shortly after headquarters moved from Santa Monica to Thousand Oaks, CA.

In 1989, their long time apartment home in Santa Monica near the beach was sold and they were forced to move. They bought their first and only home in Leisure World in Mesa, AZ in July. Their first day hit a record 122.

Don worked for the Leisure World recreation center setting up events and running the sound equipment for 12 years before retiring a second time.

Ruth died four days before Christmas in 2014 after being cared for by Don for many years. Don spent his remaining years walking around Leisure World, assembling puzzles, watching 1970’s game shows, and running into obstacles at Walmart in electric carts. His 31 years in Leisure World were the longest in one location. He was able to stay independent in his home almost to the end.

Don is survived by his siblings Tom (Joan), Patrick, Kathy, and sister-in-law Bernadette; son Michael, daughter-in-law Lisa, grandchildren Robert (Ashlee), Matthew (Allie), Sean (Mariah), Nicholas, Ryan, and Kelly; great grandchildren Beverlee, Eleanor, Daysie, and Corbin.

Don was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Ruth, siblings Bill, Jeanne, Bob, Dick, and Jim.