Donald Gale Neros Dies; Longtime Sitkan was 84
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- Created on Thursday, 07 April 2022 12:12
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Donald Gale Neros
Donald Gale Neros, a Sitka resident for more than 40 years, passed away on March 29, 2022, at the age of 84.
He was born Sept. 13, 1937, in Rugby, North Dakota, the son of Olga (Sivertson) and Irwin Spencer Neros. He had an older brother, Orlan. His grandparents were born in Norway. He loved his country, and was very proud to be a second generation American.
Don graduated from Enderlin high school in North Dakota, and attended one year at the University of North Dakota, in Grand Forks.
He served in Guam with the Air National Guard, a reserve force of the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a chief master sergeant from the guard and FAA on Dec. 3, 1997, after giving 39 years of service to his country.
He married Jacqueline Faye Clem on Feb. 15, 1959, at the Evangelical Free Church in Enderlin.
In 1961, Don brought his family to Alaska, living in Anchorage (Spenard), King Salmon and then, in 1980, in Sitka.
He was a member of the Methodist Church, a positive person with a great sense of humor.
He loved his dogs and horses, hunting and fishing, reading, western movies, daily phone calls with Sonny Clem and daily emailing, for 20 years, with a group of 1955 high school classmates, his wife’s sister and brothers, and special friends David Anderson, Steve Geoghegan and Sam Scalcucci.
When he lived in North Dakota he got a pilot’s license and owned a Piper Cub with his dad.
Most of all, Don loved his family – his wife, of Sitka, and his children: Jonie Lane (his Lanie) and Scott Calhoun of Sitka; Donie Lisa (his Lisa) and Steven Coleman of Anchorage; O’Dina Winn Neros (his Dina) of Mayfield, Kentucky; and Christopher Wade (his Tiff) and Jen of Bellingham, Washington.
His grandchildren are Adam, Ryne and Cinthia, Janae and Dan, Stefan, Becca and Carlton, Bryn and Katie, Trevan and Courtney, Taryn, Harley, Fia, and Laney and Darby.
His great-grandchildren are Nik, Junior, Caleb, Yareli, Camille, Ysa, Ava, Houston, and Josie and Lissi.
Don was a good man, a caretaker, the best son, husband, Dad and Papoo, his family said. “Psalm 46:1 was our anchor,” they said. “This time, God said enough, and took him home.”
Don requested no funeral be held and that his ashes be scattered where flowers grow.
A family and friends gathering is planned in September.
Gunalchéesh Háw’aa
Thanks to the generosity and expertise of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska broadband department, Tidal Network; Christopher Cropley, director of Tidal Network; and Luke Johnson, Tidal Network technician, SitkaSentinel.com is again being updated. Tidal Network has been working tirelessly to install Starlink satellite equipment for critical institutions, including the Sentinel, following the scheduled maintenance of GCI’s fiberoptic cable starting March, 13th. CCTHITA’s public-spirited response to the outage is inspiring.
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