Donald Loptien was born on August 1, 1947, and adopted by Fred and Myrna Loptien at the age of four. He grew up in Mora, Minnesota and Costa Mesa, California. At the age of 17 he left high school and joined the Navy and served from 1964 to 1968. During his service he served one tour of duty in Vietnam.In December of 1971 he moved to Juneau with his first wife and daughter. Don worked for many businesses while living in Juneau, including Thibodeau's Market, The Baranof, Bullwinkles, various construction companies, The Alaskan, Taku Glacier Lodge, Mendenhall Auto Center and most recently Reach Janitorial. During the early 80's He moved to Bellingham, Washington for five years, working for Chris Craft boats before returning to Juneau in 1988. While in Bellingham he served in the National Guard reserves and continued his service when he returned to Juneau.He loved golfing, fishing and camping, his favorite spot for fishing and camping was Dupont where he enjoyed catching Dolly Varden on his ultralight fishing poles and once managed to catch a nice King Salmon near the old Dupont dock. He was an avid Mariners and Seahawks fan. He loved his Grandkids and would have them in tow during the summer fishing at Twin Lakes; picnics at Auke Rec and Eagle Beach; golfing at the Mendenhall golf course; going to the movies, driving around enjoying the sites of Juneau and on inclement days playing video games with them. Don could also be found throughout the year at the various Fields and Arena's as a spectator watching his grandkids various sporting events. One of his highlights in recent years was accompanying his granddaughter to a father daughter dance.He is preceded in death by his mother and father and is survived by his sister Rosanne Cleveland-King of Richmond, Kentucky; daughter Michelle Fabrello (Dan) of Juneau; daughter Nicole Lewis Jones of Bakersfield, California; daughter Amber Luna of Tulare, California; grandkids Elisa and Evan of Juneau; Zenia and Zaire of Bakersfield; and Kiarah and Kamron of Tulare.A celebration of life will be held at a later date, and some of his ashes will be scattered in a few of his favorite spots around Juneau. The family would like to thank Dr. Benjamin and all of the staff at the VA clinic in Juneau the care they provided.
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