Obituary for Donn L. Walden
Donn L. Walden, who loved his family, sports and sports journalism, died of complications from a stroke Saturday, April 15, 2023, at Lewiston. He was 50.
Donn was born in Pensacola, Fla., on Jan. 3, 1973. He spent much of his youth in Columbus, Ohio, and lived in the Buckeye State most of his life. He and his family moved to Lewiston in August 2019 when he was hired as sports editor of the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
Donn developed a love of sports in his childhood and was a lifelong fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians and Columbus Blue Jackets. He loved all sports, but baseball was his favorite.
His love of sports led him to a career in sports journalism, the field he worked in since he was 18 years old, starting as a freelance writer at London, Ohio. He worked for several newspapers in Ohio and, before coming to Lewiston, had stints at The Daytona Beach (Fla.) News Journal, The Times Free Press in Chattanooga, Tenn., and The Blade in Toldeo, Ohio.
Donn was an old-school newspaper man, taking pains to cover as much as possible and making sure even the smallest details were accurate. But he was also eager to embrace the digital age, as he ramped up the Tribune’s presence on social media during his tenure and started a podcast and email newsletter within the last year.
Donn was a proud and active member of the Associated Press Sports Editors group and was serving as its Northwest Region vice chairperson. He developed contacts and friendships with many of his APSE colleagues.
Donn was demanding of the sports writers on his staff, but he also cared deeply for them and was quick to sing their praises.
Donn met his wife, Jennifer Snyder, at her workplace in Columbus on Oct. 3, 2001. They were married two years later on Oct. 4, 2003, with the date picked to coincide with an Ohio State football bye week.
The couple was blessed with two children, Addison in 2011 and Nolan in 2013. Donn loved his family, and had fond memories of taking his children to the ocean in Daytona Beach and throwing rocks in the river in Chattanooga with Nolan.
Donn put in long hours at work and dealt with several health issues over the years, which likely contributed to his death. He generally kept these details to himself.
He is survived by his wife and children, all of Lewiston, as well as his mother, Judi Wilhelm; step-brother Freddy (Tina) Wilhelm; step-sister Wendy (Jim) Crawford; father-in-law George Snyder; brother-in-law Todd (Alyssa) Snyder; sister-in-law Kaylee (Jeremy) Congrove; step-mom Natalie Walden; step-brother Tod (Jackie) White; and step-sisters Shellie (Shon) Cook and Kelley (Gary) Nixon; and many nieces and nephews.
He was proceeded in death by his father, Don Walden; step-father Fred Wilhelm; mother-in-law Diana Snyder; paternal grandparents Laura and William Walden; and maternal grandparents Jean Mahler and Harold Bunting.
The family is grateful for the love and support it has received from the teachers and staff of the Lewiston School District, the Lewiston Tribune, Salvation Army, St. Joseph Region Medical Center and the staff of Opportunities Unlimited for its help with Nolan.
Donations to help with final expenses are being taken at bit.ly/40pRFb9.
Donn was born in Pensacola, Fla., on Jan. 3, 1973. He spent much of his youth in Columbus, Ohio, and lived in the Buckeye State most of his life. He and his family moved to Lewiston in August 2019 when he was hired as sports editor of the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
Donn developed a love of sports in his childhood and was a lifelong fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians and Columbus Blue Jackets. He loved all sports, but baseball was his favorite.
His love of sports led him to a career in sports journalism, the field he worked in since he was 18 years old, starting as a freelance writer at London, Ohio. He worked for several newspapers in Ohio and, before coming to Lewiston, had stints at The Daytona Beach (Fla.) News Journal, The Times Free Press in Chattanooga, Tenn., and The Blade in Toldeo, Ohio.
Donn was an old-school newspaper man, taking pains to cover as much as possible and making sure even the smallest details were accurate. But he was also eager to embrace the digital age, as he ramped up the Tribune’s presence on social media during his tenure and started a podcast and email newsletter within the last year.
Donn was a proud and active member of the Associated Press Sports Editors group and was serving as its Northwest Region vice chairperson. He developed contacts and friendships with many of his APSE colleagues.
Donn was demanding of the sports writers on his staff, but he also cared deeply for them and was quick to sing their praises.
Donn met his wife, Jennifer Snyder, at her workplace in Columbus on Oct. 3, 2001. They were married two years later on Oct. 4, 2003, with the date picked to coincide with an Ohio State football bye week.
The couple was blessed with two children, Addison in 2011 and Nolan in 2013. Donn loved his family, and had fond memories of taking his children to the ocean in Daytona Beach and throwing rocks in the river in Chattanooga with Nolan.
Donn put in long hours at work and dealt with several health issues over the years, which likely contributed to his death. He generally kept these details to himself.
He is survived by his wife and children, all of Lewiston, as well as his mother, Judi Wilhelm; step-brother Freddy (Tina) Wilhelm; step-sister Wendy (Jim) Crawford; father-in-law George Snyder; brother-in-law Todd (Alyssa) Snyder; sister-in-law Kaylee (Jeremy) Congrove; step-mom Natalie Walden; step-brother Tod (Jackie) White; and step-sisters Shellie (Shon) Cook and Kelley (Gary) Nixon; and many nieces and nephews.
He was proceeded in death by his father, Don Walden; step-father Fred Wilhelm; mother-in-law Diana Snyder; paternal grandparents Laura and William Walden; and maternal grandparents Jean Mahler and Harold Bunting.
The family is grateful for the love and support it has received from the teachers and staff of the Lewiston School District, the Lewiston Tribune, Salvation Army, St. Joseph Region Medical Center and the staff of Opportunities Unlimited for its help with Nolan.
Donations to help with final expenses are being taken at bit.ly/40pRFb9.