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Dear MMHS Class of 1978,

I have sad news to share with you.  

Don Sverdrup passed away.  Don’s sister Jerri Sverdrup Streeter posted the following: “My brother Don Sverdrup, class of 1978 passed away in his home in Albion, WA (Pullman) on Thursday April 16^th, 2026.  A life and retirement cut short by a health condition.  He is survived by both his parents and a daughter, Holly Sverdrup Hoyer”.

I will always remember Don as a very smart person. He was also, a very direct person with a funny sense of humor.  I remember at the end of our junior year in high school he was running for Senior Class President.  He didn’t want the position.  His campaign signs made it very clear that he didn’t want the position, but if we voted for him he would reluctantly do the job.  Perfect Don.

I have a fun memory of Don.  Either before our senior year or the summer right after our senior year.  Don and a bunch of friends from our class learned that Lanny Bruner and a small group of kids were going to be camping at Silver Lake.  They would be staying on an island in the lake at Dr. Donnelly’s cabin.  So of course, plans were created, talked about, and then set in motion.  We found a scary and ugly facemask of some type.  We then attached batteries, wires, lots of small red lights around the perimeter of the mask and taped it on a 10’ long pole.  We commandeered two canoes (I think from Bill Lotz house maybe Bill asked before we took them) late that Saturday night.  We motored to Silver Lake with the canoes and about 10 people crammed into two cars.  We launched and silently paddled across to the island.  We bushwacked through the very thick brush.  We made quite a bit of noise working our way from the shore toward the cabin.  We heard the group talking about what kind of animals might be foraging and making all that noise on the island.  At that point we hoisted the scary battery lit mask up in the air and waved it back and forth.  Everyone in the camp started screaming.  We pulled our mask down and without saying a word we paddled back to shore.  A mission perfectly executed.  Don couldn’t have been prouder of the planning and execution.

Don, you are leaving us too soon.  You will be missed.  I can picture Don with a grin smirk on his face in Heaven.  As if he had just done something to someone and they hadn’t noticed just yet.

Always,

Darren Talley

Update: I was telling my Mom (85) and my Dad (88) about Don passing:  My Mom (Marilyn Talley), said when Don was in junior high at Cascade he asked if he could bring his bike into the library.  My mom said, “No that bikes had to stay outside”.  So, of course Don rode his bike into the library to protest.  No one got mad, but Don had to park his bike outside. 

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Please check your contact information and update if needed.  If you see friends that haven't updated on our class website please send them the link.