Donald Dean Jost

As a youth he was always up for a challenge. Once, while driving with his family, he saw a significantly steep hill that he found inspiring. He asked his father to stop the car so he could show that he could run up that hill. In another instance, his friend bet him he wouldn’t eat a raw egg, including the shell, and Don just couldn’t resist the dare.

Don played football from a young age up through high school, and was also a high hurdler on the high school track team. He was goal-driven and had big aspirations, including earning “one million dollars.” He loved burgers, sports, music, going to the beach and being with friends.

Don was a proud father to two girls, Kristi and Michelle. He loved to take them to the library and show them how to look up books in the card catalog. Don was a lifelong learner and encouraged his girls to pursue an education and never stop learning. He would also take them to the park where they would have swinging contests, or to museums. He was passionate about family history and was proud to be of mostly Norwegian & German and some Swiss ancestry.

Don’s father, Gerald, was a wedding singer, and Don followed in those musical footsteps by playing guitar and singing often. His daughter, Michelle, has several voicemails on her phone of her dad singing songs like “Have I Done Any Good” (a Christian hymn) and “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye. He particularly loved to sing songs from “My Turn on Earth,” a theatrical production, when his girls were young.

He was a proud member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and was very passionate about his faith. Don also loved discussing educational and political topics. He attended the University of Washington, studying Political Science, as well as Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.

Don passed away from a heart attack, as his father did, on January 16, 2025. It was just 3 days before his 81st birthday. He is survived by his oldest daughter Kristine Windom and grandson Ronan (3), second daughter Michelle Rowe and grandchildren Cohen (19), Garrett (17), Ava (14), Lillian (13), Jacob (10), and Naomi (8), and brother David Jost (Bonnie Jost) and nieces Lacy (Keith Johnston) and Lisa (Matt Lang).