In Memory of Don P. Lohn

Don and I were very close friends during my 8th grade and final year at ENMS. He was from Las Vegas and also had a little brother Jon in the Junior school. We both lived in the Junior wing. He shared a room with Otto L. at the far end of the hallway and I shared a room with Wayne K. in the middle of the hallway. He was in the Color Guard and I was in the Band. The Band and Color Guard always attended guard mount at the end of the day when the colors were retired and the daily guard roster changed. Although I was a couple years younger than Don, because we had so much in common, we hung out a lot. Several times we took our brothers out of the Junior school together for weekend pass. I also remember once his wonderful Mother took us all out on pass and we went to the San Diego Zoo. Don and I were very protective of our brothers and made sure they were doing well. [In April of 1973, while attending UNLV, I took my girlfriend (and wife of 35 years, Debra) to a Yes (still my favorite band) rock concert at the Las Vegas Ice Palace. Mid concert, Deb and I ran into Don and ended up after the concert at a nearby restaurant getting caught up over pie and coffee. I learned that Don had been in the Army and stationed overseas and that it was not a pleasant experience for him. I sensed there was great turmoil in his life. After that meeting, I didn't see Don again until the 2002 ENMS Reunion and we didn't speak much either but we did recognize one another. We never really got caught up together as we had done in the restaurant thirty years prior. And, again, I sensed without having any details that he had lived a challenging life.] Then, the news came from Jim M. notifying us of Don's passing Friday, April 4, 2008, after a hard fought battle with cancer. His funeral was held at the LDS Church in Vancouver, WA and he was buried at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, OR on April 10, 2008. [The following video is my tribute to our ENMS brother Don during a most engaging time of our lives -- around the summer of 1965 just before he and Jon returned to ENMS for summer school I believe. My Dad, Harry, took us all out to the Colorado River and we zoomed down the extraordinary canyon to majestic Lake Mojave for a day of merriment and mayhem water skiing (me and Don double skiing), fishing, swimming, etc. Four brothers having a blast at the conclusion of the 1964-1965 school year -- Don and his brother Jon and me and my brother Steve. Dad filmed it all for posterity. Don must be about 15 or 16 years old and Jon about 9 or 10. I am 13 years old and Steve is 11. Whatever you remember about Don P. Lohn, please know that once upon a time he spent a fantastic day in the sunshine with his brother and friends having an extraordinary amount of fun!] Don had a good heart! He was a good man! See ya later, pal.