Donald Edgar Atwater

Donald E. Atwater

12/30/1927 - 7/6/2025

Donald E. Atwater, 97, of the Tappahannock/Warsaw, Va. area, formerly of the Glen Rock/Shrewsbury, Pa. area, passed away on Sunday July 6th, 2025 at Northern Neck Senior Care center in Warsaw, Va. He married Josephine Veronica Friedman on March 27th 1949, and was her devoted husband until she passed on 4/30/2015.

Don was born on December 30, 1927 in Sturgis, Michigan. He was the son of Otis and Regina Atwater. He was predeceased by his younger brother, Robert (Bob) Atwater who passed away in June of 2024.

In 1946 Don enlisted in the Marine Corps primarily in the military police and was discharged in 1949. In 1952 he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Military Police Corps in the United States Army Reserves. In 1953 he earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Michigan State University majoring in Police Administration. He then resigned his Army Reserve commission in 1956 to become a Special Agent in the office of Navel Intelligence as a LTJG. In 1971, he went on to become Officer-in-Charge of the Naval Reserves Intelligence and then on to serve in the Naval Investigative Service and the Defense Investigative Service. He was instrumental in the forming of NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) which the show NCIS on TV is based on. He retired at the rank of Commander in 1987.

Don went on to volunteer at the Jacobus Pa. Lions Club where he was president for 2 or more terms. He also served with the Loganville Volunteer Fire Department as a Fire police and volunteered at the Tappahannock, Va. hospital as a shuttle bus driver. He moved 16 times in his life. Too many locations to mention but basically all on the central to east coast.

He enjoyed his volunteer work, watching NASCAR, IMSA, F1, and Indycar racing & Redskins football. He also enjoyed helping in raising leader dogs for the blind or disabled and was very fond of his many dogs. Don also enjoyed building things out of wood in his wood shop. He was always very successful at growing amazing tomatoes. He and his wife enjoyed traveling and spending time together with friends and family.

He had a very full and rich life. He is survived by his two daughters, Susan Payne (Mark), Lou Ann McArtor (Mark), and two sons, Andrew Atwater (Karen), and Joseph Atwater (Linda).

Services will be private with family members only. Online donations can be sent in memory of Donald Atwater to the Carroll County Veterans Independence Project, or CCVIP at, https://ccvip.vet/donate/.