Donald Brian Moore

Donald Brian Moore was born in Auburn, WA, July 22, 1955, to Maxine Grace Hettrick and Eugene Charles Moore. He was the 3rd of four siblings: Michael, Sheila, Don, and Walter.
Don grew up in Auburn in a house designed by his artist mother and built from the ground up by his woodworking father in the decade following WWII: when Dwight Eisenhower was president, phones had rotary dials, televisions (if you had one) were black & white, no satellites orbited overhead, and the first personal computers were still a quarter-century away (but he did grow up with indoor plumbing and electricity! ;-)
Don had a very inquisitive and inventive mind. As a kid, he would often lie upside down in a chair reading the family's set of encyclopedias, and from a young age, he and his brothers were always testing some new idea – building or modifying something to make it work better, faster, louder (think "Myth Busters for kids")! His sister still shudders at memories of her brothers' favorite trick: fill an empty glass mayonnaise bottle with their home-made gunpowder, light a match & toss it into the bottle, screw on the lid and throw the bottle! OMG!!! (Dad was at work and mom, having grown up only with sisters, was a bit naïve...)
Don's elder brother Michael had a habit of disassembling mechanical toys to see how they worked, and Don had a talent for figuring out how to put them back together and make them work again! This was the beginning of a lifelong aptitude for figuring out how to make things work – whether improving the existing or inventing the new.
Music, especially classical, was a part of Don's life from his early years onward. In elementary school, he began playing the cornet, then transitioned to the more difficult French horn while in junior high school. In high school he was active in band, marching band and orchestra. Even in his lean $ college years, he would have two season tickets to the Seattle Symphony. His musical talent and interest continued throughout his life, and while working on construction projects, he would often pick up a piece of pipe, smile at you, and then demonstrate that he could get a good sound out of it!
In junior high, Don also managed to find time to letter in wrestling, (no doubt helped by many years of wrestling with his younger brother, Walter, as they grew up : ) Beginning in junior high, he was active in the school drama department doing stage work, often running the light board. He was one of the brains behind the Auburn Haunted House for many years and contributed to other haunted house projects and Auburn civic events such as the Miss Auburn Scholarship Pageant. Throughout his adult years, he often served as a technical consultant in creating special effects for Seattle Opera.
Don seemed to have boundless energy, and, in his college years, while earning both a B.S. in Chemistry and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington, he found time to become President of the UW Skydiving Club, make lengthy hikes in Rainier National Park and Olympic National Park, and join his older brother in Hobie Cat sailing races around the northwest.
After graduating from the UW, Don co-founded an electronics company, Northwest Digital Systems (NDS), which for twenty years produced graphical video terminals. Later, his company became part of Sony, who continued to retain him as principal manager.
Don loved the outdoors and each year his company would take his employees to Kalaloch Resort on the edge of Olympic National Park for a weekend of beach bonfires, hotdog roasts and stomping in the surf. He also loved salmon and berries and sharing both with his family and friends. He eagerly awaited the yearly arrival of Copper River salmon season and ensured that whoever wanted berries – all types --got them! He continued to distribute fresh berries to his friends each year until he passed.
Don was a licensed pilot for both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. He looked forward each year to flying his (and brother, Walt's) "Mooney 231" to Arkansas to see his retired high school drama instructor. Many stories could be (and have been!) told of these aerial adventures (though not to the FAA!)
While technology was Don's vocation, his passion was helping his many friends. If anyone had a project going or planned, Don was there to help. He was always compelled to help his friends whenever needs arose, large or small, and strove to achieve the Best Possible results in any endeavor throughout his life. He was never shy of challenges or risks, whether being a "test pilot" for contraptions when he was a kid, or in his business endeavors later on in life, and he always found and shared enjoyment in all he did!
Don passed away on May 28th, 2025, after several years of strokes. Even while coping with the aftermath of his strokes, he still had his fun sense of humor and love of spoonerisms. And memories of his fun, often mischievous (and sometimes near-miss) adventures would make him laugh. As we remember Don, listen to the ether to hear his immortal words echoing "You drop in the match while I screw on the lid and toss it!"
Don is survived by his brothers, Michael (Janice Lee) and Walter (Susanne Forderer) and sister, Sheila Kuehn.