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Donald Mueller Obituary
Mueller
July 5, 1933
March 30, 2022
Colonel (Ret) Donald D. Mueller passed away peacefully at home on March 30, 2022 from complications of ALS, surrounded by his family. Don was 88 years old and donated his body to science.
Don was born on July 5, 1933 in St. Louis, MO. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1951 and went on to get a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois. Don was commissioned into the United States Air Force and married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Coyle, in 1955.
Don became an Air Force pilot and earned a Masters degree in Astronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute in 1961. He conducted weightlessness training for the Gemini and Apollo astronauts at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH. Later, Don taught at the Air Force Academy and wrote and illustrated the textbook "Fundamentals of Astrodynamics", still in wide use in classrooms today. Don liked to tell people that Elon Musk read his book while learning how to build rockets (true story!).
After Air War College, Don served a year in Vietnam and was eventually promoted to full Colonel. He retired from the Air Force in 1977, having moved 21 times. He went on to teach Physics at Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs for another 20 years.
After retiring in 1997, Don and Pat travelled extensively, constantly searching for knowledge and adventure. In his later years when Don could no longer travel, he enjoyed reminiscing and telling stories about their many trips. Christmas in Rome was his all time favorite. Among his passions were sports, classic movies and music, and seafood. He loved phone calls from his grandkids and his weekly chats with his brother-in-law, Jim Coyle. Thanksgiving will not be the same without him making his famous turkey dressing. It is difficult to imagine the future without his wisdom, love, and epic storytelling.
Don was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 61 years, Pat, and by his brother Carl Mueller. Survivors include his sister Sharon, his children Kathleen, Lynn, and Mike, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Please go to Legacy.com and leave a message or story about Don if you would like to.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Donald Mueller
2 Entries
Tom Merchant
November 29, 2022
I am not sure if this is the Don Mueller that I knew or not. He worked on computers and lived in the Girard, Belmont area. I bought a few laptop computers from a Don Mueller. The last I texted him was in February, 2022. I needed to reach him only to find out that his cellphone number was in the hands of someone else. I would like to reach his family if at all possible. [email protected]
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Perry Dvorak
July 26, 2022
Don was the best instructor I ever had at CTU and the only reason I got through physics with A´s. He was funny and I really enjoyed learning from him. I had him back in the eighties at CTU and still talk about him to this day. He will be missed. My condolences go out to his entire family.
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