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Donald Edward Koué March 26, 1934 - May 12, 2015 Don Koué - journalist, writer, painter, lover of travel, tennis and good food - passed away on May 12th at home after a brief illness.
An Oakland native, he was the son of Aage Lewis Koué, an architect, and Elsa Milne Koué, a registered nurse. Don graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1959 with a degree in political science, after spending a year and a half in Germany with the U.S. Army. From an early age he showed an interest in writing, which would continue his whole life. He worked for the Oakland Tribune and later for UC Berkeley as a public information officer, a position he held for eighteen years. He was present during the turmoil of the free speech movement, and often recalled nights in his office at Sproul Hall, with the sound of police sirens and the smell of tear gas. A journalist at heart, he loved the experience of reporting on momentous events.
In his spare time Don also wrote fiction and even won an award in a short story competition. After retiring from the university, he worked on video production and freelance writing, including numerous magazine articles. Don's other consuming activity was art. He had an art studio at home and painted in various media - pastel, watercolor, pen and ink, and acrylic. A man of broad interests, he amassed a large collection of books on a variety of subjects.
Don is survived by his wife Susan, his son Scott Koué and wife Aislinn Scofield, son Glen Koué and wife Susan Reed, daughter Niki Tucci and husband Paul Tucci, daughter Camille Koué, and grandchildren Tom, Ryan and Anna Tucci and Ezri Koué. His brother Lewis died in 1990.
A celebration of Don's life and his art will be held this summer.
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Published in San Francisco Chronicle on June 7, 2015
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