Colonel Donald Julian Yuen, 79, of Oldsmar, FL passed away at his home on April 3, 2008 under the care of Hospice. Funeral services are 1:00 pm, June 23, 2008 at Arlington National Cemetery, "Old Post Chapel" Arlington, VA with full military honors including horse drawn caisson. The assembly time for the beginning of the service is 12:30 PM at the visitor’s entrance to the cemetery. A native of Philadelphia, PA and a local resident since 1987, he and his family moved here from St Louis, MO. Colonel Yuen was a Combat Fighter Pilot; a retired United States Air Force Colonel that served our nation for 28 years; a protestant; a member of the Belleair Country Club and the East Lake Woodlands Country Club; a member of the Air Force Association and the Order of the Daedalian, Americas Premium Fraternal Organization of Military Pilots. After he retired from the United States Air Force, Colonel Yuen worked and retired from McDonnell Douglas Corporation in St Louis, MO. Colonel Yuen’s decorations include US Army Good Conduct Medal; Korean Service Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters; Air Force Longevity Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters; National Service Defense Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Clusters; Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters; Air Force Achievement Medal; Air Force Outstanding Unit Award; United Nations Service Medal; Republic of Vietnam Medal with Palm; Distinguished Flying Cross; Meritorious Service Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster; Air Medal with 10 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Force Commendation Medal with 10 Oak Leaf Clusters. During his Unites States Air Force Career, Colonel Yuen flew the F-84G "Thunder Jet" F-100 "Super Saber", the T-33 "Shooting Star", T-28 "Trojan" and the T-39 "Saber Liner" aircrafts; served as a aircraft maintenance officer, attended Jungle Survival School, Combat Crew Training School, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Air Command and Staff College and Squadron Officers School. Colonel Yuen is survived by his wife, Johnnie Yuen of Oldsmar, FL; a son, David Cook of South Carolina; daughters: Donna Brown of Pennsylvania, Karen Levi of Maryland, Terri Land of New Jersey, Tammye Cox of South Carolina, Tami Velazquez of New Jersey, Lori Bailey of South Carolina; a sister, Elizabeth Betty Mark and her husband, Oliver M. Mark of New Jersey; grandchildren: Jennifer Dillon, Jeffrey and Adam Land; Hamilton and Britton Cox and Abigail Cook; great grandchild, Gayland Dillon; and nieces, Debbie Brunner and Vickie Ballezzi, both of New Jersey. On Sunday Evening, June 22, 2008 @ 6:00 PM, everyone is invited to attend a family gathering at the FT. Myers Officers Club, 214 Jackson Avenue, Ft. Myers, VA. 22211. Ft. Myers is immediately adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, 5771 Roosevelt Blvd., Clearwater, FL 33760 or the Daedalian Foundation, P.O. Box 249, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas 78148 in the memory of Colonel Donald Julian Yuen. Veterans Funeral Care 1-800-467-7850
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My beloved husband for 29 years.I
will miss you and love you forever.
Don was an exceptional individual and a cherished friend; we devoted many hours together fishing and playing tennis. He was a humble, quiet, gentleman, who enjoyed time with friends, yet seldom mentioned his military accomplishments. I feel proud and privileged to have known him as a true friend.
My favorite memories of Don are down at the beach condo that he loved. I can still see him casting out the net to catch minnows. He would be out there for hours fishing, you could tell he really enjoyed it. We would all sit out around the pool and talk and laugh. He was always a gracious host. It’s sad to think that he is gone now.
Don was such a wonderful man, and I truly admired him as a gentleman and husband to my sister. He had a very dry sense of humor, and could really get the best of me sometimes. He thought the world of all the children and grandchildren. He loved and adored his constant companion, Skoshi, his little Yorkie. I will always miss seeing him and visiting with him, and hearing his voice call out from their upstairs when I went over to visit at Johnnie and Don’s home.
GodSpeed to a comrade in arms. May God accept you into his loving care until we all meet again when God sends Jesus to take us all home.
MSgt. Dennis H. Berry, Sr, USAF, Ret and
SMSgt A.W. Berry, USAF, Ret
God Bless you, Johnnie, and give you His Peace and Comfort. Our Prayers are with you.
Our Love to you,
Aunt Sue, Uncle A.W.and Aunt Judy, Uncle Dennis and Aunt Norma
Go well, Don. We have fond memories of time spent with you many years ago in Oldsmar.
A gracious host and a delightful person. Our love, thoughts and best wishes go to Johnnie at this time.
– John, Dee, Lauren and Andrew Granger
Dad, I am overwhelmed with sadness in my heart losing you. I know that all the special memories we’ve had over the years will help me get through the days ahead. I loved spending time with you every year at the beach and when you would come to New Jersey. You were a very special person to me and will be missed.
Love Forever, Your TDY daughter
We loved him and will miss him ….
He was a great guy….
Johnnie we are so sorry….hang in there…we love you
Don and I were dear friends. From grade 7 through college we were almost never apart.He was a wonderful man from a wonderful family.
Knowing him was a real privelege
Don and I were dear friends. From grade 7 through college we were almost never apart.He was a wonderful man from a wonderful family.
Knowing Don was an impotant part of my life.I will miss him greatly.
To my dear friend Johnnie.I am so sorry for your loss. I didnt know Don but I know I would have loved him because he loved you. My heart is so sad and I will pray for your strength. I know how hard hospice is from experience. all my love Linda.
Dear Donna,
My deepest and heartfelt sympathies to you and your family. I know how difficult it is to lose both parents within a relatively short time, and my thoughts are with you.
Diane
We have lost a dear friend and neighbour. Don was such a wonderful man, who enjoyed life. Whether on the tennis courts, fishing or puttering around the house. A special man with a smile for everyone. He loved to entertain and spend time with friends. However, he never spoke of his accomplishments. We were honored to have called him our friend. Deepest sympathy to Johnnie, Lori, David and the rest of the family.
Dear Donna: i am so very sorry for the grief that you are now experiencing at the death of your father. After reading about him, I know how very proud you must be at his selfless service to his country. May God give you peace and comfort. Gail
My Dearest Dad,
You were so “proud” that you wouldn’t allow us to see you in your weakened state. I will always cherish the times we did have together and the many phone calls we had this past year while you were fighting this battle. You always made me hungry talking about your recipes! What a wonderful cook you were and I will always treasure what you taught me…
Love forever and a day,
Donna
Johnnie, I’m so sorry to hear about the colonel. Both of you have been on my mind the past few days. Know that you are in my prayers.
Pop Pop,
I will always remember the times we would spend fishing on the gulf. You were a great cook and I learned so much from you. I will miss the times we spent together.
Love Your Grandson, Adam
Will always remember learning to fish at the beach house and getting my butt whipped in tennis by an old man, how embarrassing. He was a great man who always had good advice and steered me in the right direction through my ventures. His grateful grandson, Jeff.
It was a pleasure to get to know Don over the years. Introducing my two young sons to fishing was special. I am sorry to lose a man that I could enjoy a good cigar with even though he didn’t always smoke good ones.
Dear Donna,
Although I never your met your father, I had heard you and your sisters speak of him so often that I felt I knew him. He will be long remembered for his steadfast service to our country. You will miss him, but time will bring comfort in the fond memories you have. Frank joins me in sending our deepest sympathy to you and your family.
Dear Ms. Johnnie and Family
I can’t tell you how sorry I am for you and your family. Mr. Don was always such a gentle and kind man. He will be greatly missed.
Love you, Tracy and Bob
Uncle Donald,
My world is a much sadder place without you in it. Memories of you will always be wonderful and I will miss you very much.
Love, Debbie
Dear Donna,
You must be so proud of your precious Dad. My prayer is that God will give you comfort and a peace that surpasses all understanding, as you celebrate your Dad’s amazing life.
Sorry for your loss. I will always have good memories of Don.
We have lost our best freind.
A very humble man. I will miss him.
Don,
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always idolized you and thought of you as the most wonderful brother and such a good, caring and generous person. I’ve loved you, it seems, forever. So, when I lost you, it was so painful and devastating. My heart is broken and only time will help heal it.
Ollie and I will miss your visits, which weren’t often enough, and I especially will miss our weekly chats which were mostly filled with talk of food your passion and what I was going to cook for Ollie.
I think you knew how much you meant to me. The world is now without an extraordinary human being and life must go on.
Until we meet again,
Your sister whose love for you is eternal, Betty
Don Yuen was the epitomy of a gentleman! He was kind, gentle and loved a good laugh!
He will be greatly missed!
Robin and Larry
Dear Don aka my Real Dad,
Even though your blood was not in our veins, your gentle spirit, acceptance, and loving heart are what made you a Father to me, David, and Lori.
You knew me—the real me, and you loved me anyway. I have 29 years of great memories with you—laughter, cooking, shopping…always trying to find “a deal”. I will never recover from this…but, I am so blessed to have had you for as long as I did. I am grateful for all of your advice, dedication, and loyalty. One thing you always told me…don’t ever look back, look ahead…waste of energy! I promise you, I will try to do that. So glad you had Skoshi in your life. I am blessed that I played a small part in that relationship. You always said you wanted to go before him. God always has a perfect plan!
Thank you for loving me, David, Lori, Hamilton and Britton. My boys miss you so much alreaady! Britton is going to miss playing cops and robbers. Hamilton is going to miss hanging with you and watching old cowboy flicks. You were a wonderful G-daddy to them! Britton said, “who’s gonna be my g’daddy now, Momma”? You know Hamilton, he is like you, very quiet and sensitive. I am going to miss everything about you—your gentleness, kindness, patience you kept trying to beat that one into me, attentiveness. But, most of all, I will miss our Dim Sum parties! You taught me to be a wonderful cook. Thanks for letting me pester you about recipes even though you never followed one!!! That is what made you special…you enjoyed trying new things and lived life to the fullest! YOU TAUGHT ME TO DO THE SAME!!!
Love you forever and ever,
Tammye
Don, we will miss you so much. You were such a kind and loving person. We will meet you in heaven some day.
All our love forever.
Tom and Lois
I grew up with Donald, we both lived in southwest Philadelphia.
We went to high sckool together,alonr with Joe FRiedman and a few other fameliar names. We did not come from a great neighberhood, but it seems that all of managed to find a better than average spot in this world.I had spoken to Donald but we never seemed to have time to visit each otherfound time to be with each other.now its to late.. Iwisheveryone in his family a great future.. Respectfully George and Gloria KOffs
I was the youngest of a group of kids who regularly met at Donald’s house before playing street basketball nearby. He was always humble,kind,and generous. He excelled in academics as well as athletics. He was a great role model for me. I will always remember him. My best wishes to the family.
Johnnie
We express our deep sympathy for your loss.
you and your family are and should be very proud of Don of the upstanding and outstanding life he led.
Mary and Bill Alexander
Don :
I have only happy memories of our childhood times together. You were always the leader in the games we played and always the most devilish and daring. My most vivid memory is of you hanging your sister, Betty, by her heels over the banister and dear Aunt Marie, your mom, yelling at you.
Even though we were not close geographically, you were always close at heart. I spoke to you recently and you were very caring of me since my loss of Ronald. Despite your illness you were most concerned about “not worrying” anyone else in the family.
I will miss you and your humor.
Rest well…I feel you will always be near.
Love from you cousin,
Doris
Don was always the one in the family to brag about.
I still have the pilot’s helmet he sent me when I was about 10 or 11. I don’t think he was supposed to, but you know Don.
We didn’t get to see him much, but we certainly feel the loss.
Cousin Bob and Wife Sandra and Kids
He was always so kind and friendly when we went to visit my parents and was a TRUE friend to my parents. He will be missed.
Dear Johnnie and family,
We are so sorry for your loss, and extend our deepest sympathies.
Dorothy and Frank
It is very difficult to express our feelings for Don. He was a very special friend to us as well as a mentor.Don’s love for people and fun was what made him the man
he is.We remember many sunsets at the beach laughing,fishing and enjoying his awesome culinary skills.Our children Sky and Oreowill miss him as I know Skoshi does;for his love for animals was so apparent.We feel very blessed to have shared life with Don and his family he will be always in our hearts and will be GREATLY missed.Our love and sympathy to the entire family.
I love you G Dady.Thanks for being my grand dad.Hope to see you in heaven.
G-Daddy I will miss you a lot.
Dear Jonnie,
We are so sorry and send you our deepest sympathy, we will always remember our nice visits with you and Don at both your home and your condo. We remember the Christmas party we attended at the Bellaire Biltmore, we have the photos we took and will cherish them.
Dear Dave, Terri, Jeff and Adam,
My heart felt sympathies for the loss of your father and grandfather. Sue Durbin
my great honor to have known a true american hero
Uncle Donald,
If love alone would have saved you…you would have never left us.
In our hearts you hold a special place, no one can ever fill. You are forever a part of us. Our prayers and sympathy to the entire family.
Love, Vickie, Tom, Rachel and Tommy
Don,
Expressing my feelings doesn’t come easy so it’s taken awhile for me to tell you how great a brother-in-law I think you were.
I’m going to miss all the challenges we had at the pool table and then came all the different dishes we concocted at dinner afterwards.
We will pick up where we left off when we meet again.
Missing you, Ollie
Dear Johnny,
It has been sometime but the memories we made are still here. I am sending my deepest sympathies to you and your family. You are all in my prayers. Don was such a nice person.
Fondly,
Barbara Zeppenfeld
Johnnie,
My sincere sympathies for the loss of Don. I have fond memories of time spent with you both at the condo and a few Christmas mornings in Oldsmar.
Don was a true gentleman.
My love to you and your family.
Nancy
Dear Johnnie and Family,
We want to extend heartfelt sympathy to you and your family. My best memory of you both is when you helped us celebrate my mother’s 40th! You both knew how to throw and host a great party. Revel in the fond memories that you have of Don.
Warmest Regards and Prayers,
Sherrie Rumer and Michael Kelley
Don Yuen was one of the most interesting and interested people I have had the pleasure to spend time with. I will truly miss our afternoon talks at the beach and the deliciously prepared meals he so generously shared with me. My deepest sympathy goes out to Donâ??s family and everyone else who knew him and loved him.
To my father, who gave me the opportunity to travel and see parts of the world I could have only dreamed of. The two most special memories of our trips together were Mallorca, Spain and Gstaad, Switzerland. You didn’t even yell at me for leaving my skis at the top of the mountain! I will treasure those moments with you forever. I am so greatful for the weekly talks we had for the past few years. They meant a lot to me as I hope they did to you too. I know that you are not suffering anymore and you are enjoying your tennis, fishing, cooking and eating! You are painfree now. You will forever be in my heart.
Love always,
Tami
Don Yuen..one of the good guys…
I first met and worked with Don at Hq Tactical Air Command Langley AFB VA back in the early 70’s. We built war plans together.His quick and thorough approach to the task was key to success in the work we did-he was a fighter pilot so I guess I should not have been surprised. In the 80’s we met again-this time in Saudi Arabia as civilians in support of their F-15 program. Now we not only worked together but were neighbors. In this period my wife Liz and I got to meet Don’s wife Johnnie. This began an instant and lasting friendship over the years and included so many many good times together with them both. Of course Don continued to perform his work in exemplary fashion and was promoted to Dirctor of our operations at Khamis Mushayt Air Base before retiring Thank you Johnnie and Don for such wonderful memories…Don you will be missed.
To the entire Yuen Family,
We are so sorry to hear of the passing of your father. He was such a good man and will be missed by many. He has left a beautiful legacy and you should all be very proud of him.
All Our Love,
The Eisenmann’s
I have known Donald for as long as I can remember.We went to elementry and graduated high school together. Played many a game of basketball on Harley Ave . Upon moving to Florida 1989 I had a visit from Don and his wife , it was the first time I had seen Don since about 1948. but still have many fond memories of our youth.
G Daddy I Am going to miss this man forever. Great mentor to me and Grandfather to my children. Loved his smile, laugh and his calm spirit.May God lift him up and take him home. Love and miss ya. Miles
Don,
Every time I light a cigar or go to the Chinese Buffet, I will think of you. Tami and I really enjoyed the times you came to our house and cooked your delicious recipes. You will be missed…
Your son-in-law,
Lou
Johnnie, you have our condolence in the loss of you hushand, Donald. Although, we did not have a chance to meet him, from talking to you, we know he was a very distinguished man and he served his country to the fullest. We know that his passing has been a tremendous lost to you and all the family members. Again, you have our sympathy with you lost.
Sincerely,Terry and Pat Russell
Rest in peace, dear Don. You were a good and loving friend. I will really miss you.
I will always remember the good times Don and I shared in the USAF and in Saudi Arabia working for McDonnell Douglas. In our military and civilian life he was a super boss and a very good friend. His friendship after we both retired and lived in the same community was just as special. I will miss our morning get-to-gethers over coffee and solving the problems of the world.
I want to express my deepest sympathy to the Yuen Family. Don and I flew 84’s together in the Black Sheep Squadron during the Korean War. I unfortunately lost track of him until now, much to my regret. He was a great guy.
Dear Johnnie And Family,
During a military career we meet and become acquainted with many true friends whom you respect and admire. In our book Don Yuen was special and high on our list of those individuals. I first knew Don at Laredo AFB, TX in the 1959-60 time frame when we were maintenance test pilots . We were again stationed together in 9th AF at Shaw AFB, SC in the 1978-80 time frame. During this tour we became close friends with Don and Johnnie. In 9th AF Don was Director of Maintenance and I was Director of Operations. Our long association made it easy to work as a team and Don was truly a great person to work with. He has always been a special person to both my wife Barbara and I, and we will miss him very much.
This is very hard for me to do. I guess that is why its taken me so long to write here. I am still not truly ready to say good bye. I don’t expect I ever will be. I have never met a person with such mental toughness, truly comfortable inside his own skin. He lived his life in such a way that I know he had but few regrets. A true mentor and counselor,with immeasurable wisdom. He was humble beyond words. He was a great tennis player, a great chef and also a loyal friend. Although he was not my biological father, he was the only father I have ever known. Thanks for making watching old western movies such an enjoyable memory for me.When one of us would find a good book we would share it with each other, which made for great discussions. I give thanks everday to God for having brought such a man into my life. You have always been my hero.
Rest easy father,
I love you always.
your son.
Col Yuen I believe was also a [pilot with the 6149th Tac Con Sq 53/54 and perhaps flew over my head in his T 6 as Observer to recon air strikes in Korea. His unit under the 6147th Tac Con Gp was associated in reunions for 35 years disbanded in 2018. We were all know as the Mosquito My truly condolences and Colonel God Bless Thank You for your service. I am or was but still keep track off and on of the over 7 thousand that we knew of that were Mosquitos. See: http://www.mosquitokorea.org