Donald Cairns Boothroyd

Donald Cairns Boothroyd of Phoenix, AZ, passed on June 17, 2026, at the age of 94. He was born on January 6, 1932 in Detroit, MI to Harold and Margaret Boothroyd. He received a BA in math from Albion College and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Tinkering with anything electronic was one of his hobbies, which led him to work for GE, Honeywell, and Bull HN. At Honeywell he received 13 patents for logic design of digital computers.

A 2 year stint in the army at White Sands Missile Range was an adventure, but definitely not a career. GE sent him to Wiesbaden, Germany from Syracuse, NY to help install and troubleshoot the 412L aircraft tracking system he partially designed. This gave him the opportunity to travel and visit some 30 countries. after 4 1/2 years it was time to return back home to some place where the sun shined. Yes... that was Phoenix.

There he was married to Bernice "Bunny" with whom they had a loving 37 years together until her death in 2013.They enjoyed family, movies, travel, and staying at resorts or thier cabin in Pine, AZ. Don is survived by his daughters Rene Sheppard and Bonnie Khan, his good friend Diana Cameron, 7 grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.

A gathering of remembrance will be held at Resthaven Funeral Home at 6450 W Northern Ave Glendale, AZ 85301 on Tuesday, June 30th at 11am.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity.