Scrapbook

scrapbook

These photos help keep our memories alive.

A couple of people sitting on a carDescription automatically generatedPat’s parents and their 1935 Ford Deluxe Tudor. Cool wheels!

A person holding a baby
Pat and her proud dad leave the hospital to bring her home.

A child holding a stuffed animal
Pat with her favorite stuffed animal.  

A young person in a wedding dressPat’s kindergarten photo during a pretend wedding dress rehearsal.  Sigh!

A person and a child sitting on a porch
Pat and her favorite Aunt Emily.

A close-up of a paperPat’s kindergarten report card.

donfamily
Don, his Mom, Dad and sister Nancy.

donsittingoncar
Don enjoying life on the farm.

donandsteers

Don and two cattle he raised as a Vocational Agriculture project in high school.

donchevy
Don's prized 55 Chevy hard top.  He wishes he still owned it.  $$$

quartet
The ATO fraternity quartet that Don was part of.  Not a good singer but was a decent pretender.

donato

Don and his father during a “Dad’s Day” celebration at the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.  

donmomato

“Mom’s Day” at the fraternity.   She loved all the attention.

donuofI

Don and his parents at the ceremony.  A kid from the farm makes good! 
dont2buckey

Flight training in Meridian, MS.  Lieutenant John McCain was one of our instructors.  He was a tough guy who later became a Vietnam POW and eventually a US Senator.   Dam Trump for once having labeled John a loser!

donpatwedding

We were married at Trinity Lutheran Church, Mt. Morris, Illinois on October 7, 1967.  Two weeks later Don left on an eight-month deployment to the western Pacific aboard the USS Colonial, LSD-17 returning eight months later to the ship’s homeport in San Diego, CA.  Pat was waiting on the pier eight months pregnant with our son, Mark. 

weddingstanandjan

Don’s best man, Stan Corbett and Pat’s matron of honor, Jan Stierwalt.

weddingwithparentsOur moms and dads.

weddingdonpatnancy
With Don’s sister Nancy at the reception.

weddingdonpatcar

Leaving on our honeymoon trip back to San Diego, CA.  Our Ford Mustang’s convertible top leaked during the trip. 

patmark240z
Pat and Mark and our much beloved Nisan 240Z in the driveway of our home in Rancho Bernardo, California.

donandpatyoung

One of our favorite photos together

donpromotion
Promotion to Lieutenant Commander.

donandcharliebaker
On the flight deck of the assault ship USS Belleau (LHA-3).  As the ship’s executive officer, Don served for three commanding officers including Captain Charles Baker shown in this photo.  He was a real gem!

frankdonovan
Captain Frank Donovan promoted Don to Captain.  He played a key role in Don’s Navy career.

patclevemark
Photo of Pat, Mark and our Springer Spaniel “Cleve” at our Escondido, California home.

marksketchMark was a highly gifted artist who got started at an early age with drawings such as this one of his grandpa Molnar, a one-time amateur boxer.

lstpeoria
The USS Peoria (LST 1183) was the first of two ships Don commanded. She was a Newport-class tank landing ship that served in the Navy from 1970 to 1994.  Homeported in San Diego, the ship was 522 feet long, 70 feet wide, and displaced 5,190 tons and carried a complement of 14 officers, 15 chief petty officers, and 226 enlisted Marines.


donkamy
Ready to board a Helo for transport to a landing zone ashore.

Hamner
Don served on nine ships during his Navy career including the USS Hamner, DD-718.    Don was aboard when the ship rescued a Navy pilot who had ejected during a bombing mission. 

downedpilot
Congratulatory telegram regarding the rescue of the downed pilot.

hamradio
Don’s amateur radio station.  He used it aboard several ships to make telephone patches to Pat as well as to family and friends of the crews.

gdetourhouse

Our first home was in Grand Detour, Illinois following Don’s Navy retirement.  We loved being back home and living in this quaint village.

patgrandetour

Pat in front of our Grand Detour home.
murrayhouse
Pat and Don have enjoyed living in eighteen homes over the years.  This one was located in Murray, KY.