DONALD W. ONTHANK

DONALD W. ONTHANK  
Donald William Onthank on Sunday, August 31, 2014, in Silver Spring, MD. Born in Portland, Oregon on February 1, 1928, Mr. Onthank joined the US Army in 1946, as part of the occupying forces in post-WWII Japan. Following his honorable discharge in 1948, Mr. Onthank attended the University of Oregon on the GI-bill, graduating in March 1952. He immediately moved to Washington, DC where he joined the CIA and met his future wife, Joan DeMino. The couple married in Bangkok, Thailand in 1956, and returned to the United States where they settled in Virginia. In 1962, Mr. Onthank left the CIA to attend Virginia Polytechnic Institute. The following year, he and his family moved to Connecticut where he began work for IBM. During his 21 years in CT, Mr. Onthank pursued his love of cycling and astronomy, hand-building two telescopes, his first using coffee cans and spare plumbing parts. In 1984, Mr. Onthank and his wife moved to Roswell, GA, where he continued to work for IBM and delved more deeply in his life-long interest in photography as well as art history and architecture. Following his retirement from IBM in 1989, Mr. Onthank became active in SeniorNet assisting seniors in the Atlanta area with personal computers and the internet. He also cycled more, biking several times across the state of Georgia with BRAG (Bike Ride Across Georgia). A member of photography clubs, Mr. Onthank participated in trips and competitions, winning several awards. Following his wife's death in 2010, Mr. Onthank sought to live closer to his children and grandchildren, and moved to Riderwood, Silver Spring, MD in 2012. An avid hiker and traveler, Mr. Onthank traveled to all fifty states and much of the world over the course of his lifetime. Mr. Onthank leaves two daughters, Karen Onthank of Silver Spring, MD, and Helen Onthank of Boston, MA, and their families, as well as nieces, nephews and other relatives. In lieu of flowers, charitable donations may be made in Mr. Onthank's memory to the Riderwood Benevolent Care Fund, 3110 Gracefield Road, Silver Spring, MD 20904. A memorial celebration will be held at Town Center at Riderwood, 3140 Gracefield Road, Silver Spring, MD, on September 27, 2014 from 2 to 5 p.m.