AMarch 01 2010
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Monday, March 01, 2010, St. Louis, Missouri
Define, J. Donald Saturday, February 27, 2010, fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church.
Beloved husband of Lois Marie (nee Callstrom) Vaaler Define; beloved husband of the late Betty Joan (nee Jett) Define; dear father of Rev. William, Susan (Robert) Schneider, Nancy (Kevin) Lyons, Mary (John) Juenger and Tim (Jennifer); dear step-father of Julie (Jeff) Christensen, Joel Vaaler and Jennifer (Kevin) Bochantin.
Dear grandfather of Jessica Define, Christopher and Nicholas Lyons, Lindsay, Eric and Daniel Schneider, Michael and Alison Juenger; dear step-grandfather of Erin and Brent Christensen, Benjamin and Ethan Bochantin; dear son of the late Henry and Ruth Define; dear son-in-law of the late Raymond and Hannah (nee Anderson) Callstrom; dear son-in-law of the late Randolph and Eunice (nee Suttle) Jett; dear brother of (late) Richard (Yolande), Alan (Janet), Robert (Debbie), (late) Mary Elizabeth Define; dear brother-inlaw of Raymond (Lucille) Callstrom, Kathleen (the late James) Callstrom, Carl (Gleta) Jett and Joan (Peter) Bruggeman; dear grandson of the late Thomas and Maria (nee Rehrman) Define and the late Thomas Fletcher and Mary (nee Richardson) Ford; our dear uncle, granduncle, great granduncle, cousin and friend.
Mr. Define was a graduate of Fordham University (Mathematics) and pursued graduate studies at St. Louis University (Business Management), The Ohio State University (Geodetic Studies) and Washington University (Computer Science). He completed short courses at UCLA (Inertial Guidance) and at the Office of Program Management School at Oak Ridge, TN (Executive Management).
He won the Heart of America Chess Tournament in Kansas City sponsored by the United States Chess Federation (USCF) in 1957. He formerly annotated and analyzed chess games for the Chess Life official publication of the USCF. He was a former member of the Marshall Chess Club in New York City and a former Regional Vice- President of the USCF. He directed the USCF Arkansas Chess Tournament in Hot Springs several times. He appeared twice, as a chess expert, on the Charlotte Peters television show. He played shortstop on a baseball team on Long Island in a baseball league whose games, including box scores, were reported in the Long Island Star Journal, the principal newspaper of Queens Borough, NYC.
He served in the Korean War, completing 14 weeks of infantry basic training at Fort Dix, NJ. Since he was eligible for the Army's Scientific and Professional Program, he was transferred to the Finance Corps. His principal duty station was Yokohama, Japan, where he lived in Coe Barracks and worked in the NYK (Nihon Yusen Kaisha) Building. He was awarded the National Defense, the United Nations, the Korean War Service and Good Conduct Medals.
He served as treasurer of Boy Scout Troop 741. He hiked, camped out and went on float trips with the Boy Scouts. His interest in genealogy led him to the construction of a 40,000 member database and required him to translate source documents, (found on Latter Day Saints microfilm) in German, Latin and Italian.
He had an intense interest in visiting and hiking up mountain trails culminating on mountain tops in US National Parks.
He served at the Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC) and its successor, the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA). He authored ACIC and its Aerospace Mission for the Pi Mu Epsilon Journal, the official publication of the Honorary Mathematical Fraternity. He co-authored (with K.I. Daugherty) Comparison of Methods for Determining the Earth's Normal External Gravitational Field presented at the XIII General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics in Berkeley, CA in 1964. He retired from the DMA where he served, at various times, as a cartographer, geodesist, mathematician, and research mathematician and manager at various times, of the Systems Analysis Branch of the Scientific Computer Division, the Management ADP Division, the Geosciences Division and the Data Base Management Division. He taught a two-hour semester course after hours on Analytic Geometry and Calculus which was accredited by Northwest Missouri State College, now Truman State University. He was a Gold Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL). He served as National Tournament Treasurer for the ACBL National Tournament held at the Adams Mark Hotel in St. Louis in 1987. He twice was among the top 500 masterpoint earners on the ACBL's Annual McKinney Trophy List.
Services: Procession from HUTCHENS Mortuary, 675 Graham Rd., Florissant 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 3 to Sacred Heart Church for 10 a.m. Mass. Interment Sacred Heart Cemetery. VISITATION 4-8 P.M. TUESDAY. Mr. Define was also a member of St. Robert Bellarmine in St. Charles.
