Donald B. Tyson was one of those energetic individuals who managed to pack several lifetimes of work and adventure into 94 years. He died Feb. 2 at Rapid City Regional Hospital. Dons life journey was professionally grounded in aviation and embellished by passions for trout fishing and amateur radio. At the time of his death, Don had held a Ham operators certificate longer than just about any of his peers in the United States, acquiring his license as a young man in Chicago, Illinois. He also was a private pilot. Dons love for fly-fishing was satisfied in the early 1970s when he moved to the Black Hills and purchased a home on Rapid Creek near Johnson Siding. On May 5, 1972, he landed a whopping 4-pound, 9-ounce Brownie, just feet from the family house. Don was born on Sept. 27, 1916, in Sedalia, Missouri, to Robert and Alice Tyson, and as a child moved to Chicago where he attended school and met his future wife, Marion Kirsch. Married in 1940, Don and Marion were together for 63 years. Marion passed away in March 2004. During World War II, Don worked for Consolidated Aircraft in San Diego, California, as a radio operator helping to air test newly manufactured bombers as they came off the assembly line; and later he moved to Lima, Peru, to fly for Panagra, the predecessor of Pan American World Airways. His years with Panagra were some of Dons most adventurous, operating radio equipment aboard DC-3s, as they ferried passengers to and from isolated communities in the rugged Andy Mountains. After a brief stint in California, Don and his family moved to Hawaii in the early 1950s where he accepted a position with the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), which later became the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He served most of his nearly two decades with the agency in Hawaii as a flight navigator, flying throughout the Pacific region serving FAA outposts. He retrained as a flight inspector and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and finally to Rapid City where he retired from the FAA. In his late 80s, Don made two trips to South America -- one to Lima for a Panagra reunion, and another that put him on a boat cruising the Amazon River, where he caught a flesh-eating Piranha. Don Tyson is survived by a daughter, Roberta Ferguson of Cape Canaveral, Florida; a son, Ray Tyson and his wife, Cheryl of Rapid City; grandchildren Ian Tyson, Ty Tyson, Robin Ferguson and Donny Ferguson; great-grandchildren Kelsey Ferguson-Davy, Jaycie Ferguson-Davy and Josie Ferguson; and great-great-grandson Braden Ferguson-Davy. Special friend Virginia Maine of Rapid City also survives Don. In addition to his wife Marion, brothers Norman and Andy preceded Don in death. Don was a member of the Rapid City Elks 1187 and American Legion Post 22. He also was a former life member of Kaneohe Yacht Club, Oahu, Hawaii, and former president of the FAA Flight Standard Retirees. Memorial services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home, with the Rev. Bob Savot officiating. Burial is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 14, at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, with military honors provided by Rushmore VFW Post 1273 and the South Dakota National Guard. Don Tyson did not serve in the military during World War II. However, because of his contribution to the war effort, Congress granted him an honorary discharge from the U.S. Air Force, effective Aug. 14, 1945. He went on the South Dakota Honor Flight in Aug. 2009. A memorial has been established.