Donald Joseph Partridge

Donald Partridge Obituary

Donald Joseph Partridge passed away peacefully in Bandon, Oregon on 23 April 2024 surrounded by his family.

Don was born in Manchester, New Hampshire to Henry Partridge and Corinne Lessard Partridge on 10 June 1942. The oldest of four siblings, he was spirited from the start playing football, fishing, running track and field and keeping both his parents and teachers on their toes. He joined the US Navy in 1960 and went on to become a submariner completing 12 Polaris Patrols and proudly serving on the SS 426 USS Tusk and the SSBN 636 Nathaniel Greene.

He met his sweetheart, Lucille Charron, at a high school dance aged 17 and they were married on 5 December 1964.  When Don left the US Navy in 1970, they moved to the Pacific Northwest drawn by their mutual love of nature.  They settled in the Rogue Valley where they raised their three children Henry, LeeAnn and MaryAnn instilling in each of them the importance of family and a deep respect for nature. Weekends were spent backpacking, hiking, cross country skiing, hunting, fishing, camping, exploring the coast, three-wheeling at the dunes or fixing something. He was happiest outside or when he had a project to work on.

Don worked at 3M Company as an engineer implementing energy efficiencies for their White City operations for over 25 years. When he took early retirement at 55, he and Lucille started their next adventure by moving to the coast house they designed and finished themselves in Ophir, just north of Gold Beach and home to Cedar Bend Golf Club where he and his ‘crew’ were always first out on the course. He spent many hours both playing and maintaining the course.  In retirement, Don and Lucille became PADI certified and travelled the world scuba diving and making friends with manta rays, whale sharks and garden eels. Highlights for Don included the Galapagos Islands, Fiji and Belize.

In 2021, Don moved full-time to the Lakeside cabin with Lucille where they enjoyed morning coffee on the deck and calm water for kayaking. This helped keep stress levels low and meant that the family always had a beautiful place to visit and play. He spent his final days at Pacific View in Bandon with a view of the light house and the boats going in and out of the harbour.

A dearly loved husband, brother, uncle, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Don’s legacy is one of strength, independence, service and adventure.

He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years Lucille, his brothers Tom and Ken, his baby sister Joan, his son Henry and wife Betsy, his daughter LeeAnn and husband John, his daughter MaryAnn and husband Peter, his grandchildren Joseph, Alexander, Christopher, Grace, Gabriel, Oliver and Daniel, and his great granddaughters Chloe and Adelaide.

A funeral service for family members only will be held at the Roseburg National Cemetery, 29 May 2024 at 13:00.

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for any donations to be made in Don’s memory to: United States Submarine Veterans Charitable Foundation: United States Submarine Veterans Charitable Foundation, Inc. - Home (ussvcf.org)

Cards and letters are always welcome, please send to Lucille Partridge, Pacific View #122, 1000 6th Avenue West, Bandon, OR 97411.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Donald Joseph Partridge, please visit our floral store.