Donald Harrison Ballew

Donald attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Grade School and Everett High School. He left high school to join the navy during World War II. He was sent to China on a mine sweeper, then returned to high school to graduate with his brother Joe’s class. Donald graduated from the University of Washington in 1951, where he was a member of Delta Chi. He was on the swim team in both high school and college, specializing in the back stroke.

Donald attended medical school at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, graduating in 1955. The international atmosphere of his medical school was interesting to him. His internship was with Stanford at the San Francisco Hospital, followed by a year of residency at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal University. Donald’s cardiology residency was at the University of Washington with Dr. Hal Dodge. He had additional training at the London Heart Institute.

In 1959, Donald married Dorothy Ann Donovan, a Seattle teacher. They settled in Yakima in 1960, where their four children were born and raised. He opened his practice of internal medicine and cardiology that year and continued to practice for forty years, until 2000. Donald felt a special commitment to the care of his patients and took a personnel interest in them as individuals. He practiced the art of medicine as well as the science of healing. Through the years, he was active in both local hospitals and in medical organizations. He was President of the Washington State Medical Association in 1982.

Donald founded the Pioneer National Bank and was chairman for the twenty years of its existence. It was sold to Pacific N.W. Bank, and he joined that board until it was integrated into Wells Fargo Bank two years later.

Donald was a talented painter and photographer, actively involved with the Larson Gallery and winning prizes for his works. He had a great interest in the art world, studying it and collecting an art library.

Donald was a loving father and grandfather, enjoying every small accomplishment of his children and grandchildren. They will all miss his interest and care.

He is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren. They are Patrick (Gabriella) son Alex 16 , step-sons Pedro 24 and Diego 14, of Yakima, WA and Santiago, Chile; Kathleen (Jeff) Rubenfeld, Sarah 19, and Ben 16 of Long Island, N.Y.; Paul (Kate), Jacob 15 and Elijah 12 of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Don R (Kristin), Margaret 13, Mary-Frances 11, John 9 of Selah; as well as wife Dorothy Ann of fifty-four years in Yakima; and sister Maribeth of Mercer Island, as well as numerous nieces and nephews

Instead of flowers, the Ballew family requests that memorial contributions be made to families at Cottage in the Meadow Hospice in Yakima, care of Keith & Keith Funeral Home, 902 West Yakima Avenue, Yakima, WA 98902.

There will be a Memorial Mass held at St. Paul Cathedral on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at 1:00 p.m.

Arrangements under the direction of Keith & Keith Funeral Home, Yakima, WA.