Don B. Wiegandt
Widowed (Sondra Jean Wiegandt), and retired KCBS Financial Editor passed away September 24th, 2015. (1/18/34 9/24/15).
Don had a 37 year broadcasting career. KCBS was his last and most cherished position. Prior to KCBS, Don was on KMPC, KSFO, KEMO-TV and a newspaper columnist at the SF Examiner.
He routinely reported 20 live broadcasts daily and wrote a column for the SF Examiner in the 80’s and 90’s. Don was very proud of winning a Peabody, which was awarded to him and the team at KCBS for on-site reporting in SF during the Loma-Prieta earthquake of 1987.
A Veteran of the U.S. Navy, Don served on the USS Ingersoll, a destroyer, in the South Pacific. He was also an Eagle Scout and former Commander at the American Legion, Mt. Cobb post.
Don received his Masters in Broadcasting in 1959 from Michigan State University; he received his B.S. from Hillsdale College in 1955. He graduated from the Edison Institute (Henry Ford H.S. in Dearborn MI) in 1951.
Don was an accomplished runner having been a state champion in 1951 as senior in High School. In college, he competed and was named the Captain and MVP while setting several track records at Hillsdale College. He also participated in the Olympic Trials at the Boston Marathon in 1959.
At his passing he was surrounded by his family. He leaves behind his daughter Jan and son Jim, their families, two grandsons (Michael and Joshua) and his brother, Richard and his wife Darlene Wiegandt, and their family. If you knew him, you knew a special person.
Don will be recognized with military honors at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, 5810 Midway Road, Dixon CA 95620. This will be at 10AM Thursday October 22, 2015. There will be a remembrance and memorial service in the afternoon at The War Memorial and Veterans Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102. This will be from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM. If you would like to attend please rsvp at dbwmemorial15@gmail.com .
In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to Seniors First, www.seniorsfirst.org .