Central High

Donald Tock

Mrs. Townsend is a long-remembered English teacher. Thanks to her, I happily learned that high school English was also superb literature and not just spelling and grammar. That happy lesson eventually carried me into the great English and American literature as life progressed through stages of an engineering and technical career. She gave me the inspiration to look beyond the technical literature to the richness of great English literature. Every decade of my life, I was reminded of Mrs. Peggy Townsend. She did that by having me memorize, among others, A.E. Housman’s “Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now.” Do you remember it? Each decade I was reminded that of my three score years and ten, …twenty, thirty, then forty and fifty, sixty and soon seventy…would not come again. It told me regularly that time was NOT on my side, and that I dare not postpone anything of interest. It made clear that opportunities in live could not be stored, but must be seized or likely lost forever. It was this reminder that motivated me to dig deep into the great literature of Dumas, Hugo, Milton, Bronte, Steinbeck and Michener just to name a few. These excursions into the literature stimulated an intense interest in travel and the arts along with greater insight. Mrs. Peggy Townsend made that contribution to my life. I could never, in those high school days, believed that she would bring a balance to a life that was so immersed in technology…but she did, and I remember her well with deep gratitude.

1939 - 2015

Donald Gordon Tock

Donald Gordon Tock passed away on Feb 19, 2015 from complications of leukemia.

Don was born on November 30, 1939 in Minneapolis, MN to Gordon and Mermon Tock. He graduated from the University of MN in 1962 and later received A Master's Degree from USC and a PhD from Purdue University. As an undergraduate, Don joined the ROTC Air Force and left for active duty following graduation, serving for 19 years and eventually attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During his service he and his young family lived all over the US and spent eight years in Europe, travelling to many countries in Europe and North Africa. The family returned home in 1985 and settled in Seattle. Following his service, Don worked at Boeing, Mitre Corporation, and Napma (NATO) until his retirement in 2003. Don and Paquita, his wife and partner of 27 years, resided in Tacoma, WA and, besides spending time with family, travelled extensively, visiting Thailand, China, South America, Africa, and Antarctica.

Don will be remembered for his boundless enthusiasm for life and an enduring curiosity about the world and everything and everyone in it. He enjoyed a good debate, but always respected differing viewpoints and never let things get personal. Although he was known to be frugal, he was generous with his love for his wife, his sons, and his grandchildren. A cheerful, gregarious and charming man, Don's appreciation for his friends and the best that life had to offer meant that he often found himself the life of the party. This talent should serve him well in the afterlife.

Don is survived by his wife, Paquita Calva; sons Warren (Lauri) of Seattle and Theron (Kalee) of Mountain View, CA; grandchildren Eli, Nina, Ezra, Ryan, and Willow; siblings Gary Tock of St Louis Park, MN and Joan Wright of Chanhassen, MN as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and friends from all over the world.

Remembrances may be sent to the Salvation Army, 1110 S. Puget Sound Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98405-2253 or via their website www.salvationarmyusa.org

Published in The Seattle Times from Mar. 1 to Mar. 3, 2015

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