Donald Lawrence Romero

Donald was born in Santa Barbara, CA to Esther and Joaquin Romero. He is survived by his cousins Betty Lou Hall of Fort Jones, CA and Sharon Lyons of Banning, CA; his nieces and nephews: Valerie Chase of Watsonville, CA, Loretta Chase of Phoenix, AZ, Michael and Katrina Chase of Santa Barbara, CA, Donald Chase of Camarillo, CA, and Eric Chase of Richmond, VA. He was preceded in death by his parents Esther and Joaquin Romero and his sister Janice Cota-Chase.

Donald graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 1962 and briefly went into Serra Franciscan Seminary in Malibu, CA. Realizing that this was not his calling, he joined the Navy and Served on the USS Shangri-La which broadened his life experience and re-enforced his commitment to all who serve in the US Military.

An enrolled member of the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, Donald was an active tribal member always willing to serve on various tribal committees. In addition to his tribal work, he served as the Commander of American Legion Post 428 in Banning, CA for more than 14 years.

Between 1969 and 2003, Donald worked in mail services for both General Research in Santa Barbara, CA and San Bernardino Valley College. While he was at working for the community college, he was an active member of the California School Employees Association, the statewide union for represented staff. He was always willing to work with others for the betterment of his tribe, veterans, and work colleagues. He will be missed by his family, friends, and American Legion colleagues.

The viewing is on Friday, July 14 from 4:00 - 6:30pm at Weaver Mortuary in Beaumont, California with a Funeral service to follow at 6:30pm. Graveside services will be held on the Torres-Martinez Reservation on Saturday, July 15 at 9:00am.

Arrangements under the direction of Weaver Mortuary, Beaumont, CA.