Obituary of Donald Feener

Donald Holt Feener passed away after 91 happy and active years on March 5, 2013 after a brief illness associated with his advanced age. Don was born in Quincy, Massachusetts on August 15, 1921 to Pastor Carlton Leroy and Isabel Holt Feener. He had an older brother Carlton Jr. and younger sister Grace. Don and his family spent his youth moving in and around the Boston area, as his father ministered to various congregations, and thereafter he frequently referred to himself as a "PK" or Preacher's Kid. He also developed a life-long love of the sea during his youth due to his close proximity to the Massachusetts shore and his ancestral connection to hardy Nova Scotian fisherman stock. Don attended Northbridge and Danvers High Schools and spent his summers working on a truck farm for 25 cents/hr to help support his mother and little sister after his parents divorced. These experiences gave him a life-long appreciation for the value of manual labor and the people who do it, and the importance of supporting his family regardless of the cost. After graduating from Danvers High School in 1939, Don attended Northeastern University in Boston on a work-study program, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. The work-study program gave him practical experience in designing and building equipment from recycled parts, which he put to good use throughout both his professional and personal life. He graduated from Northwestern in 1943 and enlisted in the US Navy to support the war effort. He attended Officers Training School at Annapolis and was commissioned as an Ensign in 1944. As a Lieutenant JG he was assigned to operate and maintain the engines on a destroyer escort, the USS Samson. His ship accompanied destroyers in the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and had several close calls with the enemy and storms during his time on board. In early 1945, in Philadelphia, while still in uniform, Don met Margaret (Peggy) McFarland from Watsontown, Pennsylvania. After an ardent courtship Don and Peggy married on December 27, 1947. They remained happily married for 64 years until Peggy passed away in 2011. After his discharge from the Navy at the end of WWII, Don pursued a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Harvard University and worked for his father assisting returning veterans in their education after the war. In 1949 he accepted a job as Assistant Professor of Engineering at the University of Maine in Orono. That year also saw the birth of Don and Peggy's first child (Don Jr.). Don Jr. was followed by David in 1951, Nancy in 1955 and Margaret in 1959. Don soon determined that he could not raise a family on an Assistant Professor's salary, so he decided to return to the Boston area and enter private industry where he spent the rest of his professional life, designing power plants. It was during this time he also earned the nickname "the Banana-Split Man" from Peggy's nieces and nephews for his generous ice cream treats during visits. Don and Peggy moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1959, and Don pursued his career as a nuclear engineer with Atomics International, where he stayed until his retirement in 1984. During his time at Atomic International he designed second and third generation nuclear power plants for commercial, defense and space applications. He and Peggy quickly established the house in Canoga Park as the western outpost for the McFarland and Feener clans, and over the years acted as gracious hosts for a stream of visitors, including brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. When he wasn't working, Don played tennis and golf, served as a coach in Little League Baseball and as an adult leader in Boy Scouts. He was also active in professional organizations such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He enjoyed socializing with friends and he and Peggy hosted the annual Super Bowl party for many years. Above all else, Don was a family man at his core. He was a devoted son to his mother, brother to his little sister Grace, husband to his beloved Peggy, and father to his adoring children. He took great joy in his family, and this joy permeated all aspects of his life. His outlook was ceaselessly positive and he had a terrific sense of humor, which he used liberally, often to the groans of friends and family. While he loved to reminisce, he always looked ahead and did not dwell on the past. Don is preceded in death by his brother Carlton, his sister Grace, and Peggy, his wife of 64 years. He is survived by his four children, five grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial service will commemorate his life on Friday, April 19, 2013, 10:00 am, at the Canoga Park First United Methodist Church, 22700 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA. Interment will occur after the service at Oak Wood Memorial Park, 22601 Lassen St., Chatsworth, CA. In lieu of flowers please consider making a contribution to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation or Mary's Mercy Center, San Bernardino, CA.