Donald G Kaiser (Don) passed away gently and peacefully on November 29, 2025. The son of Raymond and Elnora Kaiser, he was born on December 2, 1941 and raised on the family Brown Swiss dairy farm in Afolkey, Illinois. To quote Don, “Afolkey was a town of thirty-two people, two churches, and a cheese factory. His first five grades were in a one-room school. At age seven, he was stricken with polio. He was lucky – he learned to walk again. Because of the family farm, Don was very involved in FFA and 4-H. He showed Brown Swiss cattle and won many honors. He graduated from Orangeville High School in 1959 – again one of thirtytwo. He attended the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and graduated in 1963 with degrees in Conservation and Biology. Seeing the situation of many his age, he committed to the US Navy at the end of his sophomore year. In June of 1964, he graduated from Officer’s Candidate School and reported to his first duty station, the USS Navarro (APA 215) in San Francisco. After a long deployment in Viet Nam, the Navarro returned to Long Beach, California where he met a young lady named Pamela and they dated for about six months and then they went their separate ways – Pamela to Grad School in Arizona and Don to command a PCF -Swift Boat along the coast of Viet Nam very close to the DMZ. After his Swift Boat adventures, he was stationed in Kodiak, Alaska which he loved because he could hunt, fish, and enjoy winter sports. He was released from active duty in 1969 and transferred to Naval Reserve. His rank was Lieutenant Commander. He loved the Navy, the Reserves, his country and Alaska! He moved to Anchorage where he met his future wife, Nancy. They were married in 1973 and in a few years moved to Friday Harbor. Their son Corey was born in 1978 and when he became school age, they moved to Snohomish.
Don built two homes completely by himself – one in Friday Harbor and the other on 5 acres in Snohomish. Because you can’t take the farm out of a farm boy, he grew vegetables, fruit trees and tended cattle and sheep. In 2005, they moved to Marysville where they lived until 2009 when Nancy passed.
In 2010, he contacted his old flame, Pamela. They had no contact for 44 years. He traveled to Tucson to see her and the 44 years fell away like yesterday! He and Pamela were married in 2011 and moved to Oak Harbor in 2015. They enjoyed 15 wonderful years in which they traveled to many of the corners of the earth. People would say “it seems like you two travel all the time!” Don would always answer “since we have 44 years to recapture, we have to really pack it in.” And they did!
Don should be remembered for his kind ways, cheerful nature, and decency. His smile could melt your heart. One of his colleagues said “Don was the ultimate gentleman .” He was always kind to everyone – always willing to help whomever needed help. Definitely one of the good guys, Don was loved and respected by many people who will all miss him.
Don is survived by his wife Pamela, his son Corey (Jennifer) and his granddaughter, Siera ( Long Island, New York), his sister Ann Obert (Gary) (Dakota, Illinois), and his brother Danny (Terrie) (Davis, Illinois), 10 nieces and nephews, and 5 great nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his older sister Shirley Kaiser Krueger, older brother, Robert Kaiser, his first wife Nancy, and his nephew Greg Krueger.
Contributions in his memory can be made to: Oak Harbor Youth Sailing – P.O. Box 2876 -Oak Harbor, WA 98277 or Hospice of the Northwest – 227 Freeway Drive, Suite A – Mount Vernon, WA 98273
A celebration of a life well-lived will be held in the Spring.
