Donald L. Eicher

Donald LeRoy Eicher was born Jan. 27, 1932 in Denver, and died Jan. 20, 2013 at St. Anthony's Hospital after a short illness. He is survived by his daughters, Diane (Joe Bullard) Eicher and Sharon (David) Gaouette; grandchildren Emily Bullard and Brian and Sean Gaouette, and former spouses Ruth Taylor and Carol Worland. He was preceded in death by his son, Douglas, in 2011. A Memorial Service to celebrate Don's life will be at 11 am Monday, January 28 at Mile Hi Church of Religious Science, 9077 West Alameda Avenue, Lakewood, CO 80226. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the James Davies Memorial Fund, to assist the family of the fallen Lakewood Police officer, c/o Foothills Credit Union, 7990 West Alameda Avenue, Lakewood, CO 80226. Don was raised in Denver and graduated from South High School in 1950. He joined the U.S. Naval Reserves in 1952. He was a self-taught draftsman and engineer. He worked for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, and later as an engineer and plant manager for Samsonite. He was an engineer for PAC, an Arvada-based can manufacturing company, a job that took him around the world, including New Zealand, South Africa, China and Malaysia. Retirement in 1997 gave Don time to pursue his hobbies full-time. A life-long car aficionado, he bought and refurbished a 1936 4-door sedan street rod he named ""Hot Times"" and displayed at area car shows. He loved spending time at the family cabin in Park County and working on the Crosley FarmORoad Jeep he housed there. Don was the consummate tinkerer: His workbench and cabinets housed every kind of tool, nut, nail, washer or screw anyone needed. He was always figuring out a better way of doing things and repurposing discarded items. He was his family's first line of defense against malfunctioning cars; Don could always figure out what was wrong with a vehicle and usually knew how to fix it. In his later years when his legs became less mobile, Don figured out ways to make his house accessible and to get his motorized scooter into his truck and around town. He used his scooter to cruise the sidewalks of the Lakewood neighborhood where he lived nearly 47 years, talking with friends, delivering news or publicizing a new nearby business he thought needed a boost. Don was proud of his children and grandchildren, bragging on them to anyone who might listen. He was a generous man and had many friends of all ages. He didn't need a formal introduction to strike up a conversation; he felt as comfortable sharing a story or comment with a stranger in a restaurant as he did talking to long-time friends. ""Pops,"" as he often referred to himself, will be greatly missed by his daughters and their families, and by the many people he befriended in his 80 years. Please share your memories of Donald and condolences with his family by signing the guestbook below.