Donald’s Obituary Donald Bert Morden passed away on Jan. 22, 2019, in Astoria, Oregon, of natural causes. Don was born in Carroll, Iowa, on Feb.
22, 1928, the eldest son of Bert and Ruth Morden. He relished the lifelong benefit of having been born on George Washington’s birthday. He grew up in small-town Iowa, leaving home in 1947 — a month after high school graduation — to enlist in the Army.
He served as a keypunch operator in Tokyo, part of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s army of occupation. Don returned stateside in 1948 to start college, and to marry his high school sweetheart, Anne Rockey.
Theirs was a long and happy marriage of 63 years that lasted until Anne’s death in 2011. Don graduated from Iowa State in 1951, and pursued a career as a food technologist, starting with American Can Co. in Chicago. He and Anne relocated the family to Southern California in 1960, taking a position with Kal Kan pet foods.
In 1962 he joined the Carnation Co. research labs, where he stayed until 1974. Don served as manager of the pet food products lab, where he was instrumental in developing Little Friskies pet foods, and the soft-moist technology for pet food production. In 1974, Don took a position with Bioproducts in Warrenton, Oregon, as director of research and development.
He and Anne fell in love with Astoria and the Pacific Northwest, an especially good destination for an avid seafood lover from the Midwest. Astoria remained home for the rest of his days. In 1982, he and Anne bought Columbia Chocolates, adding “by Mordens” to the title.
The business was an outlet for Don’s innate entrepreneurship and creativity, and an impetus to his involvement in a wide range of local community and political activities. He was a member the Astoria School Board before being elected to the City Council, where he served for 12 years. He was involved in the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce, served as president of the Astoria chapter of Rotary International, and volunteered at the community radio station.
He was a longtime volunteer at the Columbia River Maritime Museum and a leader in the Astoria First United Methodist Church. He was a member of the church choir, and of the North Coast Chorale. One of his proudest accomplishments during his City Council tenure was the establishment of the Astoria Riverfront Trolley and Astoria Riverwalk.
He helped to procure and arrange for rehabilitation of the 1913 trolley. He continued for years to serve as a volunteer conductor, and to recruit and coordinate other volunteers. Don was a man of wide-ranging interests.
Fishing and golfing were among his favorite hobbies in Astoria, and his hole-in-one, on Hole 10 at the Astoria Golf & Country Club, was one of his lifetime achievements. During his jogging years, he ran several times in the Great Columbia Crossing. Other avocations over the years included cultivating roses, leather and wood carving, and playing the harmonica.
He was an enthusiastic fan of the Seattle Mariners and the Seattle Seahawks. Above all, he will be remembered as a kind, generous and gentle man with a wry sense of humor, who was always ready to step up and do what needed doing — and then some. He was fervently dedicated to his family, his friends and his community.
Don is survived by his four children, Stephen, of Astoria, Cheryl (Reuben Snipper), of Takoma Park, Maryland, Mark (Kay Kiser), of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and David, of Tucson, Arizona. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Jesse (Mary Jo) Snipper, Malachi (Kristina) Morden, Ryan Morden (Abigail Gardner), Gabriel Morden-Snipper (Kathrin Gilbert) and Damian Morden-Snipper; and seven great-grandchildren. Other surviving relatives include his brother, Robert (Annette) Morden; his sister, Marilyn Roberts; and his sister-in-law, Jane (Chuck) Lake.
A memorial service will be held at the Astoria First United Methodist Church, 1076 Franklin Ave. , Astoria, OR. , 97103, on March 2, 2019, at 2 p.m. Gifts in his memory may be made to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria, OR.
, 97103, or the Astoria First United Methodist Church.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
