Donald I. McKeown (1918-2014)

MCKEOWN, EDGCOMB, HERBERT, HAYDEN, OLSASKY

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 10/25/2014 at 15:10:43

Obituary from Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home & Crematory, Urbandale, Iowa:

Donald I. McKeown, 96, of Ames died peacefully October 4th, 2014 at Mercy Hospice in Johnston, Iowa, surrounded by family.

Don was born on March 15, 1918 in Clinton, Illinois to Dallas James and Arta (Edgcomb) McKeown. He grew up in nearby Amboy and was the last surviving member of the Amboy Township High School Class of 1936.

During WWII, Don served 5 years on the staff of General Mark W. Clark, commander of the 15th Army Group in Italy and Austria. In 1951 he received his B.S. in Architecture from the University of Illinois, where he met Marion Geoffroy. They were married in 1947.

Don worked in architectural offices in Denver and Omaha before coming to Ames to get his M.S. in Architectural Engineering in 1951. There he joined the faculty of Iowa State College, became an honorary member of Tau Sigma Delta, received several architectural honors, and did work furthering student exchanges with Universities in Poland, England, and the Soviet Union. He taught at ISU until his retirement as a Professor Emeritus in 1986. A longtime member of the American Institute of Architects, he also had a private architectural practice, authored two books, and was a consultant and expert witness into the late 1990s. Don was an accomplished artist and athlete and a member of Ames Kiwanis Club. An avid traveler, he and Marion visited countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Marjorie Herbert, and his brother James. He is survived by his wife Marion, his children; Roger of Annandale, NJ, Nancy (Gary) Hayden of Spokane, WA, Lesley (Joe) Olsasky of Urbandale, IA, five grandchildren: Andrew, Ben, Courtney, Robyn, and Alexandra, and two great-grandchildren; Olive and Lucas.

His family would like to thank the staff of Mercy Hospice, Methodist West Orthopedics, Bickford Cottage, and Green Hills Retirement Community of Ames.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Ames on Friday, October 24, 2014 at 10am. Interment following the ceremony will be at Iowa State University Cemetery.

Memorial contributions can be made to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Capital Improvements, 2210 Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50010.