Donald Leivas

1927 - 2021

Donald Leivas
April 13, 1927 - June 2, 2021
Donald (Don) Leivas passed away peacefully, at home, with family at his side on June 2, 2021, at the age of 94. Don was born in Los Angeles on April 13, 1927, a son of Ray and Clara Leivas. Don met his future wife Lorraine while taking classes at the Art Center in Los Angeles. They got married on September 3, 1949, and they remained married 66 years until her death in 2016.
Don moved his family to Northern California in 1959 and settled in Cotati where they raised their three surviving children Chris, Gina and Joe.
Don worked for many years as a heavy equipment operator in Sonoma County for Argonaut Constructors. He was a member of the Operating Engineers Local 3 for over fifty years.
Don's passion was art and he pursued that passion for nearly eighty years. He received a formal art education at the Art Center School and Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. While Don has explored a variety of mediums and subject matters throughout his career, he had a passion for head and figure drawing. He conducted many head and figure drawing workshops in his studio in Cotati. He also continued his formal art training at Santa Rosa Junior College primarily in the area of print making.
He will be deeply missed by his family and many friends. There will be a celebration of Donald's life on a future date.
The family prefers memorial contributions in his name to be made to the Cotati Historical Society, PO Box 7013, Cotati, CA 94931.