Donald Everett Belanger passed away March 10, 2007.
Donald Belanger was born Dec. 16, 1920, at home in rural Bark River, Mich., in 1920, the youngest of 10 children.
Raised during the depression in a large family, at 16 he left the family farm, worked in the Detroit area and soon headed west to California with the Navy. He met his sweetheart, JoAnne, they were married in June 1945 and Don was welcomed into JoAnnes large Irish family with open arms; many arms it was and continues to be. Don and JoAnne had three boys, four girls and two foster daughters.
He owned and operated a small trucking company in Los Angeles, Calif., for several decades and together with JoAnne created a warm, loving, fun home that all the cousins and other relatives and friends loved to visit, complete with swimming pool, billiards table and world-class Sunday brunch. Don dearly loved his friends and his large extended family, his own relatives and JoAnnes and he was dearly loved in return, even by those friends he met near the end of his life. He was a wonderful father-in-law and his 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren were his own special loves.
A few years before his death, he traveled back to the Michigan town, and house, in which he was born. He was a devout Catholic and a generous contributor to charities and those less fortunate than himself. He cared for his beloved JoAnne tirelessly through her long illness and she has greeted him in heaven, together with their three sons and many relatives.
He is survived by his children, Amanda Hooke and husband Gerard of Carna, Ireland, Kate Domoszlay and husband Ralph, of Woodinville, Wash., daughter, Elizabeth Belanger and husband Richard Walther, of Everett, Wash. and daughter, Marianne, of Stanwood, Wash.; grandchildren, Candy, Rachel, Rosemary, Jeremy, Nikki, Ben, Lindsay, Bryant, Rhiannon, Nick, Chris and Katy; many great-grandchildren, including Chris, Jayce, Vicki, Monica, Erica, Joshua, Angela, Frankie and Bryant, Jr.
Services for Donald will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, Calif.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the American Cancer Society, local hospice or a favorite charity.
Arrangements under the direction of Gilbertson Funeral Home, Stanwood.