Siekmeier, Donald Arthur (1933-2014)

SIEKMEIER, NOLTING, FORSHEE, JOHNSON, SCOTT

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 6/29/2014 at 22:25:40

Donald Arthur Siekmeier
August 10, 1933 - March 8, 2014

Donald Arthur Siekmeier, age 80, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, passed away on March 8, 2014, at Arbor Hospice in Ann Arbor surrounded by his family.

Don was born on a farm near Forest City, Iowa, on August 10, 1933, the son of Arthur B. and Dorthea N. (Nolting) Siekmeier. Don played in the high school band, where he gained a fondness for band music, in particular marches, an interest which lasted his entire life. After graduating from high school, he attended Iowa State University where he earned a degree in Electrical Engineering and took part in the Air Force R.O.T.C. program. He stayed closely connected to his alma mater his entire life.

Following his college experience, Don served in the U.S. Air Force with assignments as a field engineer in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. In 1958, he came to Ann Arbor to work at the Willow Run Laboratories of the University of Michigan; he also did graduate work at the University of Michigan. While in Ann Arbor, he met Jessie Elaine Forshee at the First United Methodist Church. They married there on September 3, 1960.

Later, Don worked at the Chrysler Introl Division as the Supervisor of the Plant Engineering Department. After Chrysler relocated from Ann Arbor, he worked at G.T Products, which later became Eaton, Inc. He retired in 2004. Subsequently, he did independent consulting work for NuStep, Inc., and other local companies. In the course of his career, Don gained a reputation as a hard worker respected by management, peers, and employees alike. An engineer to the core both on and off the job, he always had multiple technical projects underway at home. For example, years before it became a commercial reality, he worked on making a hybrid electric car. Some of his other accomplishments included making a control computer for an environmental house, building a recumbent bicycle from scratch, and constructing a methane gas generator. Unfortunately, his many projects and dreams were tragically cut short by Alzheimer's disease in 2009.

An active member of the First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, the Boy Scouts, the Ann Arbor Ham Radio Club, and the former Science Research Club of the University of Michigan, Don was well-liked and a friend to everyone he met. He was a wonderful family man, loving husband, and the best dad ever. His many nieces and nephews remember him as one who took a sincere interest in their activities and always had time to listen.

Don is survived by his wife of fifty-three years, Jessie Forshee Siekmeier, of Ann Arbor; his two sons, James F. Siekmeier, PhD (Catherine Tall), of Morgantown, West Virginia, and Peter J. Siekmeier, M.D. (Maria Stalford), of Cambridge, Massachusetts; one grandchild, Claire E. Siekmeier, of Morgantown, West Virginia; his brothers, Dr. Allan E. (Arlette) Siekmeier, of Woodbury, Minnesota, and David A. (Carol) Siekmeier, of Georgetown, Texas; his sister, Diane A. (Richard) Johnson, of Stillwater, Minnesota; his sister-in-law, Virginia A. Forshee, of Ann Arbor; and his brother-in-law, James H. Forshee, of Ann Arbor; as well as by several cousins. Don was preceded in death by sister-in-law, Dorothy J. (Verne H.) Scott, of Boulder, Colorado, on November 12, 2013.

Following Don's wishes, his brain has been donated to the Michigan Brain Bank-Brain Autopsy Program and his body to the University of Michigan Anatomical Donations Program.

Memorial services will be held on April 12, 2014, at the First United Methodist Church, 120 South State Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Visitation will begin at 11:00 AM with a memorial service to follow at 12:00 PM. In memory of Don, those wishing may send a contribution to the Electrical/Computer Engineering Excellence Fund in care of Iowa State University Foundation, 2505 University Boulevard, Ames, Iowa 50010.

Copyright © 2014, Ann Arbor News, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 6 Apr 2014.

Ann Arbor News, Ann Arbor, Michigan
 

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