Don Gordon Yates
May 6, 1934 - February 17, 2011

Don Gordon Yates passed away peacefully on February 17, 2011 after a battle with prostate cancer and kidney disease. He was 76 years old. He is survived by his son, Andy, his daughter Sarah, and his grandsons Jake and Andrew.

The richness of Don's life is captured in brief by some of the items he left behind: an ice ax, a silk Tai Chi uniform, books on history and astronomy, an ukulele, a CD of Korean language lessons, drafting paper, a ticket stub from a World Cup soccer match, and photos of his two grandsons.

Don was born on his parent's kitchen table in Tacoma, Washington. He recalled melting lead to make toy soldiers and playing with a German Shepard named Duke. When Don was in the 4th grade, his family moved to Santa Barbara, CA, and later to an avocado ranch in Escondido. He helped out in the groves - picking avocadoes with a long pole and earning 25 cents for each box he filled. He graduated from Escondido High School in 1952 and then returned to what he affectionately called "good old Puget Sound country." He studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Washington for two years before joining the Air Force.

Don had a lifelong passion for a fast set of wheels. As a child, he and his cousin Rosemary would careen down steep hills in a red Radio Flyer wagon. His love for speed only accelerated over the years, and by the time he was in college, he was driving racecars. He loved telling colorful stories about the exotic automobiles he raced in Germany during his overseas deployment. Back in the US, he joined the Boeing Sports Car Club and drove rallies on weekends. Don kept a list of vehicles he had driven, and at last count, it was 38.

Don's career path took many turns between his first job as a shoeshine boy in the fourth grade and his final job with the US Census Bureau in 2000. He worked the graveyard shift at SeaTac, loading cargo onto planes for Northwest Airlines. In the 1950s, he served with the US Air Force in Europe and North Africa. He worked as an analyst and engineer at Boeing. He was a real estate agent, a shopping mall Santa, and a financial advisor for a company that developed prosthetic feet. His son and daughter will always remember the day he delighted them by bringing home a bag full of surplus foam toes. However, Don's greatest professional satisfaction came from working as a banker with SeaFirst and Pacific Bank in downtown Seattle.

Don started practicing Tai Chi, a subtle and graceful Chinese martial art, in 1998. He would show up every Wednesday morning in the rain, wind or sun to go through the movements with his teacher Li Zhang. Tai Chi became a source of physical and mental strength for Don as he began his battle with prostate cancer. He inspired and taught many students, including family members at his 70th birthday party.

Don was a gentleman, a teacher, and the person whom stray cats "adopted." He was the climber who stopped a few feet short of Mt. Rainier's summit because he didn't like the idea of "conquering" the peak; the man who, though short on change, would always place a dollar in a street musician's cap. He was the neighbor who helped Chinese residents in his apartment building learn English. Most of all, he was the father who loved his children and grandchildren without bounds.

Don's grace and kindness will be missed deeply by all who know him.

A service celebrating Don's life will be held at 11am on Saturday, April 2nd at East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue.

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