DONALD EDWARD LANDRY April 18, 1936 – Nov. 21, 2023
Donald Edward Landry, 87, was born on April 18, 1936, in Garner, Massachusetts, and passed away on November 21, 2023, in Rio Rancho after a brief illness. He was the son of the late J. Omer and Irene Landry of Athol, Massachusetts.
After graduating from Athol High School in 1954, Don attended Norwich University for 3 years before he received his appointment to The United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1961 with a degree in civil engineering.
Don’s 20-year military career included a tour of Panama during the Panama Riots (1964) and two tours of duty in Vietnam as an Airborne Ranger and Jungle Expert. The Army recognized Don’s honorable service with many citations, including The Legion of Merit and The Bronze Star with Oak Leaf. He retired from the military in 1981 as a Lieutenant Colonel.
After retiring from the Army, Don attended Texas A&M University where he received his Master of Engineering degree. He went on to enjoy a successful career in the civilian engineering field holding executive positions in various commercial construction companies before joining Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in 1989. While at LANL he held the positions of Project Manager and Director of Engineering. He retired from the Laboratory in 2005.
Don always gave back to the community in various capacities. He served as President of the Kiwanis Club in Los Alamos as well as Lieutenant Governor of the Kiwanis Southwest District. He helped establish the Los Alamos Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW), where he served as its first Commander.
Don, predeceased by his parents and his first wife Janet MacDonald, is survived by his wife, Sandra Landry; his children Donald Landry and wife, Connie; Lizabeth Milner, and husband Thomas; Shannon Taylor and husband Zach; grandchildren Alison Graham and husband Clayton; Janet Milner; Mark Landry and wife Kasey; Julianne Roberts and husband Blake; Isabelle Mayne, Sophia Mayne, Hudson Mayne, and Augustus Taylor; great-grandchildren Stephen Graham, Travis Graham, and Mitchell Landry; and his sister, Patricia Killay.
Funeral services with military honors will be at West Point Cemetery on a date to be determined.
For those desiring, the family has requested that donations in Don’s memory be sent to the Key Club Fund, c/o Kiwanis, P.O. Box 94, Los Alamos, NM 87544.
Thank you to Advantage Assisted Living and Luna Del Valle Hospice for the loving care they gave Don in his final days.
Well done, Don. Rest in Eternal Peace.
