Official Obituary of
Donald Jay Cresswell
December 4, 1937 ~ December 27, 2019 (age 82) 82 Years Old
Donald Cresswell Obituary
Dr. Donald Jay Cresswell, a longtime resident of Pocatello and Associate Professor Emeritus of Idaho State University, passed away on December 27, 2019. He was 82.
Don was the son of Donald A. and Edith S. Cresswell. He was born on December 4, 1937, in Portland, Oregon, and raised on a family farm in Pasco, Washington. He graduated from Pasco High School in 1956 along with his twin brother Douglas.
The brothers excelled in athletics, and Don lettered in four sports in each of his four years at Pasco High. He set a new state record in the high jump that stood for several years, and he entered Washington State College (now WSU) in Pullman in the fall of 1956 with a football scholarship. At WSC he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
Don took a semester off to tour Europe with a fraternity brother, and subsequently transferred to Eastern Washington College of Education, now Eastern Washington University, in Cheney. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Eastern, and went on to earn advanced degrees at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
At Eastern, Don met Charlotte Pare’, the daughter of Henry and Hazel Pare’ of Spokane. They were married in 1963 in Spokane and settled in Corvallis, where Don earned his PhD in Mathematics from OSU.
Don taught at California State University-Chico in Chico, Calif., before joining the faculty of Idaho State University in 1968. Don and Charlotte raised two sons in Pocatello — Donald Pare’ Cresswell and Ronald Eliot Cresswell.
Don retired from ISU in 2000. His passion for sports continued into retirement, and before his health deteriorated he could often be found on a tennis court along with Charlotte, the love of his life.
Don was preceded in death by his parents, Donald and Edith Cresswell, and by his eldest son, Donald Pare’ Cresswell, who died in 2018. He is survived by his wife Charlotte Cresswell of Pocatello, Idaho; son Ronald Cresswell and daughter-in-law KayZin of Twin Falls, Idaho; daughter-in-law Lisa Cresswell of Shoshone, Idaho; grandchildren Daysha, Makenna, Hannah, Donald Ryan, Kayla and Elektra; and brothers Douglas Cresswell of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Dennis Cresswell of Pasco, Washington.
A memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 200 North 15th Avenue, Pocatello, Idaho, on January 11, 2020 at 11:00 a.m.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Cornelison Funeral Home, 431 N. 15th Ave., Pocatello. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.cornelisonfh.com
208-232-0542
Don was the son of Donald A. and Edith S. Cresswell. He was born on December 4, 1937, in Portland, Oregon, and raised on a family farm in Pasco, Washington. He graduated from Pasco High School in 1956 along with his twin brother Douglas.
The brothers excelled in athletics, and Don lettered in four sports in each of his four years at Pasco High. He set a new state record in the high jump that stood for several years, and he entered Washington State College (now WSU) in Pullman in the fall of 1956 with a football scholarship. At WSC he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
Don took a semester off to tour Europe with a fraternity brother, and subsequently transferred to Eastern Washington College of Education, now Eastern Washington University, in Cheney. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Eastern, and went on to earn advanced degrees at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
At Eastern, Don met Charlotte Pare’, the daughter of Henry and Hazel Pare’ of Spokane. They were married in 1963 in Spokane and settled in Corvallis, where Don earned his PhD in Mathematics from OSU.
Don taught at California State University-Chico in Chico, Calif., before joining the faculty of Idaho State University in 1968. Don and Charlotte raised two sons in Pocatello — Donald Pare’ Cresswell and Ronald Eliot Cresswell.
Don retired from ISU in 2000. His passion for sports continued into retirement, and before his health deteriorated he could often be found on a tennis court along with Charlotte, the love of his life.
Don was preceded in death by his parents, Donald and Edith Cresswell, and by his eldest son, Donald Pare’ Cresswell, who died in 2018. He is survived by his wife Charlotte Cresswell of Pocatello, Idaho; son Ronald Cresswell and daughter-in-law KayZin of Twin Falls, Idaho; daughter-in-law Lisa Cresswell of Shoshone, Idaho; grandchildren Daysha, Makenna, Hannah, Donald Ryan, Kayla and Elektra; and brothers Douglas Cresswell of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Dennis Cresswell of Pasco, Washington.
A memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 200 North 15th Avenue, Pocatello, Idaho, on January 11, 2020 at 11:00 a.m.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Cornelison Funeral Home, 431 N. 15th Ave., Pocatello. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.cornelisonfh.com
208-232-0542
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