Posted on 01/15/2019
Donald James MacIver Jr. (November 21, 1941 – January 7, 2019)
Donald James Maciver, Jr. was born in Dallas, TX on November 21, 1941 to Elsa Nylund and Donald James Maciver. He passed away on January 7,2019 at the age of 77 years in Monument, CO. Aristotle is quoted as saying, "All men by nature desire to know." Don truly exemplified this in his pursuit of understanding life's important questions. His was a life full of reading and great conversations with family and friends. Don graduated from Highland Park High School in Dallas and enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin for a semester before enlisting in the US Navy. While serving in Photographic Intelligence, he was appointed to the United States Naval Academy where he studied for two years before opting to finish his service commitment in different capacities, including service in the Vietnam War. After completing his military service, Don returned to the University of Texas at Austin where he earned a Bachelors degree, as well as a Jurist Doctorate. He began a career in corporate law where he worked for EI Paso Natural Gas Company for 24 years, rising to the position of Senior Counsel. During this tenure he argued and won three cases in the US Supreme Court. Following his career in law, Don moved into the field of education. He served on and as President of the Board of Governors for St. John's College, a Great Books college with two campuses in Annapolis, MD and Santa Fe, NM. He also served as interim President of the Annapolis campus before moving to Santa Fe to pursue a Master of Liberal Arts degree from the St. John's Graduate Institute. It was there that he met his spouse, Patricia Erdle. Upon completion of his degree, Don followed Patti to Colorado Springs where he joined the Academy Research and Development Institute (ARDI), a non-profit foundation dedicated to establishing and managing endowed academic chairs for the US Air Force Academy. Don served as ARDI's Executive Director for 18 years before retiring in 2012. During his retirement, Don volunteered his services on the Board of Directors of Tri-Lakes Cares, a local charitable foundation in the Monument, CO area. He also found more time to read, play tennis, travel, cheer on his favorite teams (Colorado Rockies,Texas Longhorns, AF Falcons, & Navy Midshipmen), and enjoy time with nine grandchildren. Don is survived by a large and loving family, including his wife Patricia Erdle Maciver, daughters Kelli White and Kyle (Todd) Ruggirello, step-sons Mark (Jessica) and Eric (Leslie) Quinnell, grandchildren Xenna, Nylund, Jade, Jordan, Logan, Emily, Lucy, Taryn, and Bryce, and sister Winnie (Les) Gage. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and brother who faithfully loved God, his family, and his country. His wit and wisdom will be greatly missed. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7 "Well done, good and faithful servant." Matthew,25:23 A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 11 AM at The Ascent Church, 1750 Deer Creek Rd., Monument, CO 80132. A second service will be held on Saturday, January 19th, 2019, at 11 AM at the Austin Memorial Park Cemetery, 2800 Hancock Dr., Austin, TX 78731. For those desiring to express their personal condolences, please forward to his wife at: Mrs. Patti Maciver, 28 N. Sherwood Glen, Monument, CO 80132. In lieu of flowers or a memorial fund, the family requests donations be made to st. John's College, 1160 Camino Cruz Blanca, Santa Fe, NM 87505.
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