Donald MacGregor Tuttle

1965 - 2016

Donald MacGregor Tuttle

November 20, 1965 ~ September 24, 2016

Donald MacGregor Tuttle, beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and godfather, passed away on September 24th, 2016 from cardiac arrest after battling vascular disease.

The same words come up again and again to describe Don: kind, gentle, complex, visionary, adventuresome, brilliant. His great passion in life, starting at age five with his first boa constrictor (Friendly), was critters, the creepier and more vilified, the more he cared. He was an advocate for all things wild and vulnerable, and by the time he reached his 30's this had morphed into a global perspective. Articulate and dedicated, Don's concern for earth and its biodiversity was profound. Fearless, creative, and never daunted, and always in pursuit of conservation solutions, he packed more experiences in his fifty years than most would in one hundred.

Don graduated from Lakeside School in 1984 and attended the University of Washington. He was a graceful athlete and since childhood, a passionate and beautiful fly fisherman, angling for more species in more bodies of water than we can name.

In true entrepreneurial style, Don founded two companies that failed before founding Jadora LLC in 2008. The third time was the charm. Today Jadora is a pioneering company, devoted to sustaining the world's forests through carbon offsets, while providing vastly improved conditions in the villages within its sprawling boundaries. Jadora currently manages an area in the central Democratic Republic of Congo the size of the state of Michigan and is constantly adding territory. http://425business.com/special-report/value-forest/.

During decades of travel, often by the most primitive means, to some of the most remote places on earth, Don dealt with everything from malaria and jungle fevers to playing host to never-exactly-diagnosed or identified microbes. Still, in recent months, as his health issues became more apparent and challenging, he reflected often and happily on his life choices, repeating his ongoing devotion to sustainability and his own gratitude for having made the choices he made and having had the experiences he had. A recent entry in his own travel journal reads: "So grateful for awesome travels, people, missions and opportunities to do what I do..." He had two quotes that appeared everywhere: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky, and "Joy and pain, like sun and rain." To those we would add, "I did it my way" - Frank Sinatra.

Don will be hugely missed by his family, friends, and countless Congolese villagers whose lives he did, and will continue to, transform. He is survived by his parents, Lyn and Jerry Grinstein and Tim and Toby Tuttle; his sister Kirsten Sharp (John Sharp); nephews Simon, Graeme and Harry; stepbrother Charles Grinstein (Krista Grinstein); niece Elise; grandparents David and Jane Davis and Monique Hussong; many aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family.

A celebration of Don's life will be held at the Seattle Aquarium located at 1483 Alaskan Way, Pier 59, on Sunday, November 20th at 6:30pm. All are welcome, and in true Don Tuttle style, will be very causal.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Forterra Don Tuttle Memorial Fund https://www.forterra.org/tuttlememorial - 901 5th Ave, Suite 2200 Seattle, WA 98164 or to the Bonefish Tarpon Trust Tuttle Memorial Fund https://www.bonefishtarpontrust.org/TuttleMemorialFund - 135 San Lorenzo Avenue, Suite 860, Coral Gables, FL 33146.