Donald Wall

Donald Tomlinson Wall (né Donald Bernie Wall), age 82, born 12/5/39, died at the Minnesota

Veterans Home on 4/9/22 due to COVID-19 complications, after several years of advanced

dementia. He is survived by his wife Jean Theriot Wall (née Jean Elyse Theriot), sister Eline

Clella Lardie (née Eline Clella Wall), children Jennifer Wall Russell and Alexander Theriot Wall,

and grandchildren Emory Wall Russell, Freya Wall Russell, Astrid Baker Russell and Casper

Baker Russell. He was preceded in death by his father Ernest Nathaniel Wall and mother Pearl

Bernice Wall (née Pearl Bernice Tomlinson).

Don was born and raised in Spokane, WA. He graduated in 1957 from Lewis and Clark High

School, went to Pacific Lutheran University on an ROTC scholarship and graduated with a

business degree. He served four years as a Naval officer. After leaving active military service in

1966, he worked in sales in northern CA for several companies including IBM and United Delco.

In 1969, he met Jean Theriot and they married in 1970. During these post-military years in CA,

he found environmentalism and his world view changed. From this point on, he was an avid

environmentalist and political leftist.

In 1971, he and Jean decided to move back to Spokane so Don could work at the family auto

parts business, which was struggling. In late 1972, their first child Jennifer was born and the

family business folded shortly after. Don then went to Eastern WA U for the classes necessary

to receive a teaching license and started the teaching career he pursued for 21 years. The

family welcomed a son, Alexander, in 1974. They moved from Spokane to Deer Park in 1985.

Don was a dedicated jogger and started running programs at two schools, as well as

participating in hundreds of races over nearly 30 years.

Jean and Don moved to Whidbey Island in 1998, where Don kept his connection with teaching

by assisting in classrooms and coaching tennis. In 2014, when Don’s dementia became difficult

to manage, they moved to Minneapolis to be close to family. In 2020, Don moved to the memory

care unit of the MN VA Home where he lived until his death.

Don was warm, quiet, stubborn and opinionated. He is loved and missed by his family.