Donald C. Kolesar was born on November 13, 1936 in Stockton, California. His parents were Helene C. Kolesar and Joseph D. Kolesar. Don's earliest noteworthy memories were of the 1939 San Francisco World's Fair and entering grade school in Tacoma, Washington. Don graduated from the Vashon Island High School in 1954.

Don received his undergraduate degree (BS, chemical engineering) and graduate degrees in nuclear engineering (MS and PhD) from the University of Washington. He was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the Army (ROTC) in 1958 and served on active duty at the Air Defense School in El Paso, Texas. While in Texas Don married his college sweetheart, Jacqueline (Jacquie) Jackson of Ephrata, Washington.

Upon completion of college Don accepted a job offer with Battelle on the FFTF project in 1967. Subsequently, he was employed by Westinghouse, Exxon, and Siemens in Richland.

Some people might remember that Don and Jacquie were co-chairs of Congressman Mike McCormick's re-election campaign.

Don's wife Jacquie died at the age of 48 of cancer (lymphoma) subsequent to a bone marrow transplant at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle in 1987. She was not to see the graduation of her daughter, Valerie, from Grinnell College and Iowa State University with BS degrees in computer science and computer engineering.

In March of 1990 Don married Susannah Brown of Richland. For four years until Sue joined him in retirement, Don was a house-husband and non-paid employee of "The Bookworm" in Richland.

Don is preceded in death by his second wife, Susannah Brown.

Don is survived by his daughter, Valerie; his stepson, Daniel Ekblaw (Valdiva, Chile); and his older brother, Richard D. Kolesar.