Donald Alt

Donald Joseph Alt

April 12, 1929 - December 25, 2023

SANTA MARIA - DONALD JOSEPH ALT (1929 - 2023)

Don was born April 12, 1929 to a Germanic/Scandinavian family in Iowa City, Iowa. Due to his arrival during the Great Depression, the family could not afford for his wellbeing and placed him in a Christian orphanage. At the age of (2) years, Don was adopted by a German/Welsh dairy farming family (Father Joseph Alt, Mother Catherine (Kemp) Alt, Daughter Irene Alt) of Cuba City, Wisconsin, near the Mississippi River. Don was then named Donald Joseph Alt.

Growing up, Don learned the aspects of farming and machinery repair from his father and food growing and preservation from his mother. Don attended Model School (1934-1942), an eight-grade one-room schoolhouse on a corner of the Alt farm. After that he attended Cuba City High School (1942-1946) in Cuba City, Wisconsin. Don attended Platteville State Teachers College, now the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (46'-48') and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (48'-50'), where he majored in Business Administration. Don also attended a local Business College in Dubuque, Iowa (50'-51') and graduated in Accounting.

Don was drafted into the U.S. Army in July 1951, trained for the Korean War, however was sent to the Army Counter Intelligence Corps School, Baltimore, MD and then on to Munich, Germany which included several European travels and assignments until his Honorable Discharge in 1953.

After military service, Don worked in Dubuque Iowa (1953-1955) and Chicago, Illinois (1955-1959) as an Accountant. In Chicago, Don attended DeVry Tech to learn Electronics and graduated in 1959. In 1959, Don moved to Hawthorne, CA to take employment in the Southern California Aircraft industry. During various aircraft company(s) jobs (59'-73'), Don attended El Camino College, Torrance, CA and UCLA to learn Computer Science skills (69'-73'). Don became a Senior Computer Programmer and Analyst starting in 1972.

Don left the Aircraft industry in 1973 to begin a 27-year world tour to work in Radar and Computer Technology as a Software Engineer in Greenland, Middle East (Saudi Arabia), South and Western Pacific Islands, Hawaii, Alaska and lastly Vandenberg AFB, CA where Don retired at 85 years of age in 2015. During this period, Don met lovely Vicki (Boman) Baldwin in Lompoc and married Vicki on July 26, 1976 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada and spent a two-week honeymoon in Hawaii. Don and Vicki also traveled to Europe, Africa, Middle East, Mexico at different times. After retirement in 2015, Don lived at his Orcutt, CA, family home to visit friends, do volunteer work, and travel to his Carlsbad, CA Oceanside Condo, his Fort Garland, Colorado mountain property, to visit the picturesque tri-state area of his youth and some former worksites.

Don belonged to the American Legion (44 yrs), the Veterans of Foreign Wars (36 yrs),the Elks (51 yrs), the Moose (44 yrs), the Fraternal Order of Eagles (11 yrs), Former: Knights of Columbus. Don also liked to watch TV Sports, History and Science subjects on TV and to travel.

Don was preceded in death by his mother Catherine (in 1949), his father Joseph (in 1951), his sister Irene (in 1998), loving wife of 35 years Vicki (in 2012), stepchildren Tyler Pearson (in 1998) and Teresa Baldwin (in 2008); also nephew Russell Bellmann (in 2012).

Don is survived in death by (2) stepchildren Kathy Baldwin (Goldendale, WA) and Jeffrey Baldwin (Santa Barbara, CA); also, niece LaVonne (Bellmann) Bradford (Gig Harbor, WA), niece Janet (Bellmann) Johnson (Wylie, TX), nephew Greg Bellmann (Cuba City, WI); grandchildren, and descendent relatives; Others: Simonetta (a.k.a. Sam) Baldwin of Santa Rosa, CA and cherished friend Barbara Roland of Orcutt, CA and many loving friends.---Don's motto in life, "Somebody's got to do it"

Funeral arrangements will be made by Lori Family Mortuary for a graveside service only, which will be held on Friday, January 12, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. at the Santa Maria Cemetery at Battles Road and College Drive in Santa Maria, CA.