Former Mayor & Councilmember Don Wasson has passed; memorial March 12

by EditorFebruary 24, 2016

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post was revised on Feb. 29, 2016:

Former Des Moines Mayor and longtime councilmember Donald F. Wasson passed away on Feb. 20, 2016.

Wasson was 90-years old, and was a well-known – although at times very outspoken – longtime local resident (read more about him here).

He served on the City Council, then as Mayor before resigning in 2003.

Former Mayor and current councilmember Dave Kaplan posted this comment about Wasson on his Facebook page:

“While he left a legacy of setback and obstruction for the City of Des Moines in his wake (including one of the largest campaign finance scandals in state history), I prefer to remember him as the guy who volunteered for years with Des Moines Kiwanis … most notably with their Waterland Festival salmon bake fundraiser, a guy whose father rowed ashore (where the Des Moines Marina now stands) and homesteaded when Don was just 1 year old, and a guy whose creative and precise machining ability for boat parts landed him work for his company with Boeing and other notable Northwest businesses. He had a wicked sense of humor, and (on occasion) he had his thoughtful insights as well.

I hope he finds the peace he needed.”

UPDATE: Don’s memorial service has been moved to Saturday, March 12, at 3 p.m. at Normandy Park Congregational Church, located at 19247 1st Avenue South in Normandy Park.

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