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Donald Andrew Edsall, 69

| April 9, 2020 1:00 AM

Donald Andrew Edsall, 69, of​ ​Kalispell, passed away on Sunday, March 29, 2020.

Don was born Sept. 20, 1950, in Marshalltown, Iowa, to Kenneth and Barbara Edsall and was the eldest of their five children.​ ​The family moved to Loveland, Colorado, when Don was 6 years old. From an early age, Don enjoyed fishing at Lake Loveland long before any homes existed there. He graduated from Loveland High School in 1968 and from Colorado State University in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Fishery Biology. Don was drafted in 1972 during the Vietnam War and served in the U.S. Army at​ ​Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Following two years of service​ ​he completed his Master of Science​ ​at Colorado State University.

After graduation, Don worked at the Colorado state fish hatchery near Drake and later at the Leadville National Fish Hatchery. While in Leadville, Don met his lifelong love, Paula Netherton. The two shared a passion for climbing, hiking, and skiing. They were married at the base of Mount Massive in 1981.

Don’s career brought them to Bozeman where their children Amy and Andrew were born.​ ​The family later moved to Creston where Don worked at the Creston National Fish Hatchery. He retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2009 after 34 years of federal service.

Don was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed climbing and hiking in Glacier National Park, the Flathead Valley, and beyond. He loved running, skiing, and paddling in dragon boat races on Flathead Lake. Don was an enthusiastic Denver Broncos fan and enjoyed spending time watching the games with his family. In his retirement, Don volunteered at the Flathead Valley Food Bank in Kalispell for many years and worked part-time at the Montana State University Northwestern Agricultural Research Center at Creston.

Don will be remembered as a wonderful husband and devoted father.

Don was preceded in death by his father. Don is survived by his wife Paula; daughter Amy (Sky); son Andrew (Liz); mother Barbara; brother Steve; sister Karen (Rob); sister Nancy (Brent); brother Dave (Janine); and two grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to A Ray of Hope, based in Kalispell, Samaritan’s Purse, or the Trees of Remembrance program sponsored by Glacier National Park Conservancy.