Donald M. Ham

Donald Marvin Ham (“that’s ham with one ‘M’ like ham and eggs” he’d say) could never figure out why people couldn’t spell his last name correctly. He died at home on July 18, 2015 with his family at his side.

Don Ham was born November 23, 1927 in Portland, Oregon in an upstairs room of his family’s home. He lived his entire life in Portland except for a term playing football at Oregon State College (as it was known back in 1945), and 13 months (from February 27, 1946 until March 17, 1947) in Guam as a Financial Technical Clerk in the US Army Air Force. While he was attached to the 24th Air Depot Group which was a precursor to the US Air Force, he liked to say he was in the ‘chair force’ as he spent most of his time in the payroll office preparing pay for the servicemen stationed there. After he returned home from Guam he attended the University of Portland and then he married his high school sweetheart, Lila June Mansfield, on August 21, 1948. They remained happily married for almost 67 years.

On April 25, 1951, Don and Lila’s only child Deborah Jeanne was born. Shortly before that Don had begun the construction of the family home in which he has lived these past 65 years. Don, with the help from some of the ‘boys from the Three’s’ finished the house, paying as he went from paycheck to paycheck. He and Lila kept the house and yard in immaculate condition through every trial like broken water pipes and parties in the basement party room. He loved working around the house and in the yard. In recent years, he would grow ‘tons of tomatoes’ and zucchini squash the size of footballs when they got away from him.

Don started his firefighting career as a volunteer with the Portland Fire Department when he was 16 years old. Records don’t say when he became a full-time firefighter with the PFD, though we do know that he retired in January of 1980 after 30 years driving Truck 3 on A Shift in northwest Portland. He even received a plaque that the guys made for him – 30 years (make that 29 years 11 months) of safe driving without an accident until his tiller man hit a parked car. As a member of the truck company, Don would set the truck in the right place for use of the aerial ladder and then he and the truck company would do two things – they’d go up on the roof and ventilate the building, then do search and rescue, entering the flaming building to search for victims that needed to be saved from the fire. Don was smart, brave, and careful (as his driving record and lack of major injury shows), but he was also self-effacing. While his brother Dick Ham became Fire Chief of District 10 in Gresham, Don chose to ‘stay with the guys’ as driver of Truck 3. He loved his job and the guys he worked with.

Don was also a friend to all. He had a great sense of humor and loved telling jokes and funny stories. He could make friends with anyone. Though Don had an opinion that he voiced firmly when necessary, he was a kind and loyal friend. He loved helping people and he would give his time and money to those in need. As a firefighter he helped repair toys every year with the Toy and Joy Makers and he volunteered at his daughter’s swim meets officiating and encouraging each of the swimmers. He loved kids, especially his grand kids and great grand kids. He and Lila were like a second set of parents to Debbie’s children and his great grandson Nolan got ice cream nearly every time he visited great grandpa. Don was a sportsman as well. He played football in high school and college, minor league baseball, and of course golf. He loved being at the golf course with his buddies every week. While he enjoyed sports and remained competitive in golf until his early eighties, it was still the camaraderie and friendship that he enjoyed the most.

Don is survived by his wife of nearly 67 years Lila Ham, his daughter Debbie (& Sheldon) Philips, his grandsons Kyle (& Cassera) Phipps and Tony Phipps, his granddaughter Tamara (& Tim) Gerald, and his three grandsons Nolan Phipps, Reid Phipps, and Seth Gerald.

Husband. Father. Firefighter. Friend. Don Ham was all those things and much, much more. He will be deeply and truly missed…