Donald Eugene Mcguirk

Donald Eugene McGuirk, Port Orchard, WA, passed away quietly in his sleep at the age of 92 on October 4th, 2016.
Don was born in Portland, OR, on July 19, 1924, the son of Frank and Loretto McGuirk. He spent the majority of his life in the Puget Sound area. He served as a waist gunner on the B24 Liberator in WWII in the Philippines (1944-1946), earning The Distinguished Flying Cross and The Purple Heart for his service, and returned to study industrial engineering at Seattle University.
In 1948, he married the love of his life, Thelma, with whom he stayed happily married for over 67 years. Don and Thelma were blessed with three sons, Tom (deceased), Marty (Bremerton), and John (Everett). Don worked for the Boeing Company for the majority of his working life and raised a happy family in Des Moines, WA, until retirement and then relocated to the Port Orchard area.
Don loved to travel. Destinations he and Thelma visited included China, New Zealand, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippines, and many road trips criss-crossing the entire USA. In 1978, Thelma and Don made the 33-mile hike over the Chilkoot Trail in the Yukon, the route taken by thousands in the late 1890s during the Klondike Gold Rush. In 2014, Don was selected by the Puget Sound Honor Flight Program to travel to Washington, D.C., to see the WWII Memorial.
Family, faith, patriotism, and a hearty love of the outdoors made life worth living for Don. He loved duck hunting, camping, hiking, and boating. All through his life, there was a loyal dog near his side. Don was a proud grandfather of five and a great-grandfather of three.
In his later years, Don was a resident of the Washington Veterans Home at Retsil, where he and Thelma (now deceased) both lived. He was an extraordinary man with a curious mind, a light Irish heart, a quick wit, and a commitment to his wife and sons. Don McGuirk was a hero to his family and country. He will be missed always!