Donald Adrian Leader

Donald “Don” Leader

December 15th, 1940 – August 7th, 2022

Donald Adrian Leader, 81, passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 7th in Astoria.  Don was born in Portland, Oregon to Donald and Iris Leader on December 15th, 1940.  He was the oldest of two children. 

Don lived in the Clatsop Plains area south of Warrenton, OR but attended school in Astoria, OR at Star of the Sea until high school graduation.  Employment as a young man in high school included commercial clamming and delivering newspapers to homes in the hills of Astoria with his bicycle.  He excelled in music and sports growing up.  He was a member of the 1958 state championship basketball team his senior year at Star of the Sea.  He was also an outstanding football player and played in the 1958 Oregon East-West Shriners All-Star Game as a running back. 

Don attended St. Martin’s University after high school majoring in civil engineering and minoring in music.  Don served in the Oregon Air National Guard and was honorably discharged in 1963.

He married Penny Reaney and had 5 boys:  Tim, Chris, Ed, Donny, and David.  Don, Penny, and the boys lived in Warren, OR and the boys attended Scappoose Schools.  Don served as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 280 and was instrumental in bringing Pop-Warner Football to Scappoose.  He was also the long-time soccer coach of the Scappoose Artesians, staying with the same group of young men as they grew up.

Don started his primary occupation in the late 1960s working as a real estate appraiser for Multnomah County.  He was a member of Portland’s chapter of the Active 20-30 Club and served as president of the chapter one year organizing the Shamrock Run.  He left Multnomah County to become a staff appraiser for First Interstate Bank until the savings and loan turmoil of the early 1980s resulted in being laid off.  During this time, Don and Penny divorced and he became the Prudential Insurance Agent for the Scappoose Area.  He married Debbie McOmie and had two more children, Andrew and Megan.  He eventually returned to real estate appraisal working as an appraiser for Columbia County and Clackamas County.  Don and Debbie later divorced.  Don finished his appraisal career as a self-employed fee appraiser eventually forming an appraisal business with two of his sons until his retirement in 2011.

Don spent much of his adult life directing and singing in church choirs.  A highlight in his life was singing in the Cantores in Ecclesia choir, along with Andrew and Megan, while the choir toured throughout Europe in 2001 singing at several churches.

The things Don loved the most:  his faith, his children and grandchildren, music, the military, and athletics.  He was preceded in death by his parents and will be laid to rest next to them at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Portland.  He is survived by his sister, Janet Lutus of San Francisco, and his children: Tim (Heather) Leader of Warren, OR; Chris (Heather) Leader of Astoria, OR; Ed (Courtney) Leader of St. Helens, OR; Donny (Jessica) Leader of Warren, OR; David (Amanda) Leader of Warren, OR; USAF Major Andrew Leader; and Megan (Mike) Hefflinger of Goodyear, AZ.  Don has 12 grandchildren: David Jr., Adam, Ben, Abby, James, Cole, Charlie, Nick, Jacob, Reese, Owen, and Ethan.  Don is also survived by 2 nephews, Mike and Peter Lutus, and 1 niece, Rosemary Lutus. 

Don’s funeral will be a sung Latin Requiem mass on Tuesday August 16th, 10:30am at Our Lady of Fatima Traditional Catholic Church, 13400 NE 28th St., Vancouver, WA  98682.  All are invited to the funeral and lunch reception to follow.  Private family burial later that afternoon at Mt. Calvary.