Donald Kenneth Giger was born on July 8, 1938, in Wichita, KS. His family moved to CA when he was 3 years old and he grew up in the Glendora/Arcadia area. Don graduated from Arcadia High School, which just opened as a new school his first year of high school.
When he was 22, he went to the Congo in Africa as part of a church volunteer mission and met Keith Froehlich. Their group was evacuated due to the 1960 revolution against the Belgian government, but Don and Keith returned to finish their project, which was a risky move and led to Don and Keith being lifelong friends. Don attended a few universities, initially thinking he would pursue forestry but eventually graduating from Cal Poly with a Biology degree. His next overseas adventure was when he enlisted in the Army as an officer and was stationed in Germany. This is where he met a young nurse named Louise, who would become his wife of 59 years. Upon being discharged from the Army as Captain in 1966, he and Louise moved to Long Beach, CA. He and Louise had two kids, Suzanne and Greg, while Don received his Master's at Long Beach State. Soon after, he moved his family to New Orleans, where he attended Tulane and received his PhD. He eventually settled his family in Omaha, NE.
Don loved microbiology and working in the lab. He worked at the VA Hospital in Omaha as the Head of the Microbiology Department until he retired. He also loved teaching and mentored many students over the years, serving as Professor Emeritus at Creighton University for 25 years.
Don liked to take his time. He liked to drive slowly through the neighborhood, paying attention to every house, every car he passed. When he took videos on trips, he loved to pan around, taking the entire view. And he enjoyed being in nature, whether that was camping at US National Parks, traveling to different countries and exploring the sights and foods, or just sitting outside watching birds at the bird feeders. He spent years pursuing his mission of trying to outsmart the squirrels trying to steal birdfeed, whether it was at their house in the California mountains of Idyllwild, or in their Omaha backyard.
Don died in Cathedral City, CA, on October 28, 2025. We are lucky to have called him our husband, our father, our father-in-law, our grandfather, our teacher, our friend.
When he was 22, he went to the Congo in Africa as part of a church volunteer mission and met Keith Froehlich. Their group was evacuated due to the 1960 revolution against the Belgian government, but Don and Keith returned to finish their project, which was a risky move and led to Don and Keith being lifelong friends. Don attended a few universities, initially thinking he would pursue forestry but eventually graduating from Cal Poly with a Biology degree. His next overseas adventure was when he enlisted in the Army as an officer and was stationed in Germany. This is where he met a young nurse named Louise, who would become his wife of 59 years. Upon being discharged from the Army as Captain in 1966, he and Louise moved to Long Beach, CA. He and Louise had two kids, Suzanne and Greg, while Don received his Master's at Long Beach State. Soon after, he moved his family to New Orleans, where he attended Tulane and received his PhD. He eventually settled his family in Omaha, NE.
Don loved microbiology and working in the lab. He worked at the VA Hospital in Omaha as the Head of the Microbiology Department until he retired. He also loved teaching and mentored many students over the years, serving as Professor Emeritus at Creighton University for 25 years.
Don liked to take his time. He liked to drive slowly through the neighborhood, paying attention to every house, every car he passed. When he took videos on trips, he loved to pan around, taking the entire view. And he enjoyed being in nature, whether that was camping at US National Parks, traveling to different countries and exploring the sights and foods, or just sitting outside watching birds at the bird feeders. He spent years pursuing his mission of trying to outsmart the squirrels trying to steal birdfeed, whether it was at their house in the California mountains of Idyllwild, or in their Omaha backyard.
Don died in Cathedral City, CA, on October 28, 2025. We are lucky to have called him our husband, our father, our father-in-law, our grandfather, our teacher, our friend.
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