Donald Richter Weiche

DONALD RICHTER WIECHE 1931 - 2023 Donald Richter Wieche passed away peacefully just before midnight on Saturday, November 11, 2023, in Bend Oregon at the age of 92 after a brief illness. Donald was born on March 10, 1931, in Hamilton, Ohio. He was the younger of two sons born to Robert and Esther (Unger) Wieche, both school teachers. Donald graduated from Hamilton High School in 1949. He loved to recount how he played varsity basketball with “Boxcar Bailey” and others. He was the starting guard on the Hamilton High School basketball team that won the Ohio state championship in 1949. A favorite story he loved to tell in his later years was how he could jump up and hang onto the rim from a standing position. Donald attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio from 1949 to 1952. He excelled academically and was admitted to Cornell University Medical School after his junior year. Donald attended Cornell University Medical School from 1952 to 1956 and interned at SUNY Syracuse from 1956 to 1957. He took a break from his studies to serve as a Captain in the US Army medical Corps in Korea from 1957 to 1959. Donald completed his residency in radiology at New York Hospital in Manhattan from 1959 to 1962 and then joined the radiology department at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY from 1962 to 1964. In 1964, Donald joined the radiology department at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT where he worked for 29 years until he retired in 1993. At the office, Donald was known for always wearing a bow tie to work (at his retirement party, his colleagues all wore bow ties in his honor). He always carried Tic Tacs in his pocket to consume throughout the day. While at a Cornell Medical School “mixer,” Donald met a cute young woman named Margaret from Nova Scotia who was training in dietetics at New York Hospital. They married in 1955 and settled on Main Street in Farmington, CT where they raised their family (Eric, Page and Kyle). They lived in Farmington for almost 30 years and were active members of the First Church of Christ, Congregational. One Sunday when the family was attending church service, Donald’s son-in-law reached to place a gift in the offering plate and Donald whispered to him, “Don’t worry, I have season tickets!” It is well known that Donald depended on Margaret to make a nutritious sandwich to take to work every day packed it in a brown paper bag. On one occasion his colleagues hid his sandwich to see what he would do, and he refused to eat anything else for lunch. When Donald retired in 1993, Margaret announced that she was also retiring and from then on Donald made his own sandwiches. In retirement, Donald and Margaret lived in Plymouth, Vermont; Woodstock, Vermont; Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia; and finally Bend, Oregon, where they moved in 2018. Donald and Margaret were married for 68 years and travelled the world together for medical conferences, ski trips and to visit friends and family in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia. Don was a lifelong athlete, committed to keeping fit decades before it became fashionable. He played tennis in the summer and paddle tennis in the winter. He put thousands of miles on his bike and later, with his hat and walking stick, was an iconic figure on the roads around Indian Point in Mahone Bay. He skied until he was 85, mostly at Round Top Mountain and Killington in Vermont. He never had a bad ski day! Even when the slopes were covered with ice, he would describe the conditions as “a little hard pack.” His grandchildren considered it a special treat to ski with Gramps. Donald was known among family, friends and colleagues as an amateur meteorologist who could always tell you where the best snow and skiing conditions were anywhere in the world. He kept track of the air pressure, humidity, winds, systems and other variables, sometimes using his own measuring instruments, which he would then use to predict the next snowstorm and likely accumulation. Donald loved old movies and old songs. Even though he could not sing or carry a tune, he loved to recite the lyrics to old songs, like “Sweetheart of Sigma Chi” from his days at Miami University. Every year on Valentine’s Day he would unfailingly recite “Up my leg and down my spine, won’t you be my Valentine!” and on Easter Sunday, he would always say “Up my spine and down my leg, won’t you be my Easter egg!” Donald had a sharp wit that he deployed with a deadpan delivery to great effect. He was a funny guy who could see the humor in almost any situation. Even when it seemed he wasn’t following a conversation, he would suddenly interrupt with a witty comment that made everyone laugh. Once the family was discussing birds in Bend Oregon and wondering why there weren’t any cardinals here. We all thought “Gramps” was asleep, but he opened his eyes and quipped “It is because they are in St Louis!” Another time when he was walking outside and there were a lot of birds, he exclaimed, “I don’t know why they are always telling me I am so cheap, cheap!” Donald was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He supported and encouraged his children in all their endeavors. He loved spending time with his grandkids and hearing about their adventures. His wife Margaret was his steadfast life partner and his greatest support for 68 years. Donald is survived by his sons Eric and Kyle (Tara), his daughter Page (Kevin), his grandchildren Kayla (Nick), Kathleen, Margaret, Isabel, Sayloren and Kanyon, his great grandson Henry, and numerous nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews and his sister-in-law Wilma. In addition to his parents, Donald was preceded in death by his wife Margaret, his brother Robert, and his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Kay and Don MacLachlan, Jean and Lloyd Caldwell, and Mary and Fred Walsh. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Shepherd’s House (https://shepherdshouseministries.org), The Bethlehem Inn (https://bethleheminn.org/), The Oregon Food Bank (www.oregonfoodbank.org), or any shelter or food bank of choice. Please visit www.niswonger-reynolds.com to share photos and memories. A celebration of Donald’s and Margaret’s life will be held at a later date in Nova Scotia, Canada.

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Donald Richter Weiche

March 10, 1931 - November 11, 2023