Don was born May 15, 1939 to James Walter and Viola Ruth Richerson in Murray, Utah. His father’s job was as a diamond driller, so Don spent his early years traveling from place to place in the western U.S. living in a small, roughly 15-foot-long, travel trailer. The family finally was able to settle in Salt Lake City by the time Don was in junior high school, but by then he had attended at least a dozen schools. Don graduated from Granite High School, married and joined the Air Force. He received electronics training that led to a career as a technician in the emerging industry of development and application of silicon integrated circuits. He was on the team at Fairchild that produced some of the first silicon chip devices and spent much of his career in Silicon Valley in California helping to advance that technology to make our modern computer age possible. He finished his work career at Motorola.
While in California, Don took up square dancing, clogging and then developed a passion for folklorico dancing. He became the sole “gringo” dancing member of the Los Lupenos de San Jose folkorico performance group, their photographer and videographer, and essentially part of the family loved by all. Don’s other passion was collecting books and old electronics equipment.
Don had a stroke in 2008 that destroyed his short term memory and required that he live at home under the care of his sons and brother and for the past four years at the Sarah Daft Home. The family is grateful for the kind and loving care that Don received at the Sarah Daft Home and also for the Hospice team that really helped Don enjoy the last few weeks by going through his folklorico photo albums and playing mariachi records.
Don was preceded by his parents and his two sons David and Bill and is survived by his brother Dave, sister-in-law Michael Anne, nieces Jennifer and Heather and ex-wife Viann.