A memorial service for Donald Rowe Ballou will be held 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, at the Church of Christ, 1113 Edgecumbe Drive. A reception will follow.
Don Ballou
Don passed peacefully in his sleep early in the morning on Jan. 21 at the Sitka Pioneers Home. He was 88.
Don was born Nov. 14, 1929, in Medera, Calif., the son of Henry Carl and Emma (Rowe) Ballou. He graduated from Medera High, and on Feb. 25, 1949, he married his high school sweetheart, Eunavae Olgetree.
In 1948, Don and three of his best buddies joined the U.S. Coast Guard, and after basic training he was shipped to Alaska aboard the U.S.C.G. Cutter Cooey. Eunavae joined him in Sitka in 1951, and they lived here for the next 65 years, before moving to Juneau in 2010 to be close to family. They had returned to Sitka early this month.
After he left the Coast Guard, Don was the postmaster of Mt. Edgecumbe post office, worked at Alaska Lumber & Pulp, was manager of Market Center, then worked at Spenard Building Supply and at Gopher Wood before retiring in 1998.
Don enjoyed flying his plane Piper Tomahawk “The Snow Turd,” and shared his love of flying with his family and friends. He was a member of the Civil Air Patrol.
Don liked literature and watching TV – his favorite shows were MASH, the news and weather. He liked classic Christian music and classic movies.
He was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ.
Don was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Donavae Ballou.
He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Eunavae, of the Sitka Pioneers Home; sons Michael (Catherine) Ballou of Madera, Calif., and Jeffrey “Scott” (Judith) Ballou of Juneau; grandchildren Michael, Mark, Jeremiah, Savannah, Kristin, Kyle, Harley, Carley-Jean and Haley; and 14 great-grandchildren.
The family may be contacted at P.O. Box 33461, Juneau, AK 99803.