Emerald Isle- Donald "Don" Robert de Tenley, 82, took his final flight on September 18, 2025, fittingly, the birthday of the United States Air Force.

He wore two sets of wings in his lifetime: first as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserves (23 years of service), and later as a commercial airline Captain (30+ years of making sure his passengers got there safely).

Raised in Renton, Washington, by Don and Alice de Tenley, he followed his sense of duty and adventure to the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, and then on to the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. It was there that he met his wife, Margaret "Missy," who remained his partner for 57 years of marriage, raising three children, and sharing countless adventures.

Together, Don and Missy raised three kids — Dave (Becky), Courtney (Tim), and Megan (Chris) in Escondido, California, before retiring to Emerald Isle, NC in 1996, where he found immense joy in tennis, grandkid golf cart rides, dressing sharp for holiday meals, and the company of close friends.

Later in life, Don reunited with his birth mother, Grace Wheeler, and built a treasured relationship with her, his half-sister Pam, and her children, Deana and Drew.

He is survived by Missy, his three children, and his eight beloved grandchildren: Spencer, Hayden, Landon, Bennett, Camden, Paxton, Lauren, and Lily. Each of them carries a piece of his humor and love for storytelling.

Friendship was a cornerstone of Don's life. He treasured his trail rides with NMMI alumni, reunions with his 301st Air Force buddies, annual trips to Colorado, and boyhood adventures with the "Hazelhoods." Locally, he was a proud member of "The Old Geezers" tennis group in Lands End and a regular at Ole Port Tennis Club.

Ever the storyteller and tinkerer, he enjoyed an evening cocktail, workouts and Coffee Klatches with lifelong friend Joe Marello, striking up conversations with new people, and was known for always keeping busy in the yard or taking on household projects. He was the kind of grandfather who could turn random wood into ships, a neighborhood pond into a fishing expedition, and family adventures on a boat that spent more time being fixed than floating.

Don was preceded in death by his three parents: Don and Alice de Tenley, and his birth mother, Grace Wheeler. He left us with a lifetime of love, laughter, and lessons. We will miss him fiercely, but we know his legacy is stitched into each hug, family gathering, and story retold around the table.

There are no immediate plans for a service at this time. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to:

VFW 9960 Cedar Point, NC Chapter

VFW Road

Cedar Point, NC 28584

https://www.vfw9960events-rentals.org

C5 original crewmembers in 1970,

75th Military Airlift Squadron AD,

301st Military Airlift Squadron Reserve unit