Donald Wall

WALL, Donald Clark (Age 74) On Thursday, October 8, Donald Clark Wall, died of liver disease in the peaceful surroundings of Spokane's Hospice House. His family was with him and was comforted by his gentle passing. Don was 74 years old.He was born in Rochester, New York on March 30, 1935. His parents were Fern and Lynn Wall. He attended elementary and high school in Rochester and had many different interests. He was a wrestler and soccer player, enjoyed both summer and winter camping, and played clarinet in a dance band throughout high school and college. After high school he attended Syracuse University and graduated with a degree in English; while there he played soccer on the varsity team. After graduating from Syracuse, he earned both a Masters and Ph.D. in English at Florida State University. During these years he met his wife, Carolyn, also a student in the English Masters program. They were married in 1960 and moved to Williamsport, PA where Don taught at Lycoming College, and they had three children: Cynthia, Philip, and Jeffrey. In 1970, Don brought his family to Cheney and Eastern Washington University where he taught in the English Department for 30 years. He loved teaching, enjoyed his colleagues, and felt lucky to have had the career he did. He won several teaching awards including three Dean's Honor Faculty awards and a Burlington Northern award for faculty achievement. He felt blessed to have been able to work at what he loved doing. Don taught many different courses, but he especially enjoyed those in crime fiction and mystery writing and researched and published in that field. Don was instrumental in bringing soccer to Cheney when most of us didn't know what it was. He began in the old Eastern field house on a dirt floor with Saturday kids games. As years went on, he coached at all levels and was given a Spokane Youth Sports Association Trustee award "for years of dedicated service." Don helped lay out Cheney soccer fields, and he wrote a youth soccer novel, Best Foot Forward. The Washington Recreation and Park Association awarded him a certificate of merit for his years of service, and he was given a commendation for 30 years of serving on the Cheney Park Board. Don leaves his wife Carolyn, his daughter Cynthia and her husband Dennis Fuller and her children Jessica and Abigail. He also leaves his son Philip and his wife Sharon Wall and their daughters, Amy and Marissa. Finally, he leaves his son, Jeffrey, and Jeff's girlfriend Kerry Henry as well as his brother and sister-in-law, James and Cynthia Hunt, nieces and nephews, and many others who called him friend. Don's friends and family loved his wonderful sense of humor, his determination to do the right thing, and his loyalty to those he cared for. He loved his home, classical music, jazz, gardening, books, poetry, parties, a good joke, his lake cabin, his friends, and, most of all, his family. We will all miss him terribly. In lieu of flowers, please donate in his memory to the following: Hospice of Spokane, PO Box 2215, Spokane, WA 99210 or the EWU Foundation, Department of Music, 102 Hargreaves Hall, Cheney, WA 99004. There will be a memorial service at the United Church of Christ, 423 N 6th in Cheney at 2 pm Saturday October 17th. www.heritagefunerals.com