Audiodon has left us...

@LexDM3 I’m sure Dana, Dorothy and Lilah would love to read this. I’ve been occasionally lurking these forums to read some of my dad’s posts and comments for a few years now. I’m so glad he made an impression on this community, he truly loved it and met some wonderful friends here. I remember him talking about Frankenfest and how much he looked forward to it. Thank you all for the kind words and an extra special thank you to Dan and Stephanie for being amazing humans.

Don was one of the most generous people I've encountered online. My regret is not getting to meet him in person...

Regards,
Gordon.
 
I want to share the obituary posted in the Boston globe:


Obituary
DONALD F. VIEWEG Jr.
1957 - 2018

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VIEWEG, Donald F., Jr. "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return." --- "Nature Boy," Eden Ahbez Don was born on June 23, 1957 in Conimicut, RI. He died at home in Arlington, Massachusetts on January 23, 2018, surrounded by the support of his beloved family and friends. He was the loving husband and partner of Dana Cooperson; the proud father of Jillian (Providence, RI), Dorothy, and Lilah, and surrogate father of Shoshana Zuckerman (Cambridge, MA); the beloved brother of Judy (Warwick, RI) and Shirley (deceased); and loyal son of Dorothy (Smith) and Donald Sr. (deceased). Don was diagnosed with ALS in April 2015. He inspired his large, supportive community with his grace, generosity, humor, and fierce love as ALS robbed him of many of his passions: he was a lifelong runner who became unable to walk or breathe on his own; an "audio geek" music aficionado, musician, sound man, and renowned restorer of classic Fisher tube amps who lost his manual dexterity; and a 'technical communicator' (writer and trainer) for Alcatel-Lucent and other companies, amateur haiku master, and enthusiastic neighborhood gossip ("Mr. Picket Fence") who used his right thumb to painstakingly type his thoughts and feelings. Don maintained his positive spirit and ability to inspire others. A long-time friend notes that Don "had the biggest shoulders in the world and was never too busy to talk or give advice and a hug." His specialty was offering advice and support to other girls' parents. He was a sensitive and philosophical thinker; a compassionate, encouraging, and generous friend; and a supportive and understanding spouse. He aspired to be the man you were always glad to see coming and sad to see leaving. Please send donations in Don's memory to Compassionate Care ALS (https://ccals.org/). The memorial service will be at First Parish Unitarian Church, 630 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA at 2:00 on Saturday January 27. Arrangements under the care of DeVito Funeral Home 1145 Mass. Ave., ARLINGTON.

Published in The Boston Globe on Jan. 26, 2018
 
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Don was a truly awesome guy, I bought a Sansui 1000A amp from him, a couple days in I told him I wasn't digging it, he let me return it in exchange for the 500c he re-built, it was the first one he worked on, the one that gigbyt bought that he shipped to someone and it got smashed. Don painstakingly rebuilt it again and I owned that amazing amp. After a while I decided I wanted to go the solid state power tube pre route, Don bought the 500C back from me, after a while I realized it meant something to him and he wanted it to be appreciated. Don also wanted me to be happy in my audio pursuit and he loved getting people the Fisher experience. Don gave me a year warranty on the 500C. After about 11 months and a couple weeks Don calls me and tells me to bring it by and does some free updates on it. This was shortly before his diagnosis. He was at the top of his game and he made the updates so quickly and surely....I felt like he had a total command of that unit. I haven't been on AK much recently, but now I have an inbox with messages from Zilch, Toasted Almond and Audiodon....I will keep paying as long as this thing is around so that I can have these messages from these great guys. Don sat on the phone w/ me and counseled me when my sig other and I were considering a divorce and it was truly an awful time and he really helped. I will miss this man, what a kickbutt man, and I play music for money, this guy had a musician's ear. RIP Don I will miss you.
 
It was an honor to have known him, shared a little part of time and be touched by his kindness. A beautiful soul. RIP Don.
 
Man, I just came across this thread and it was like a kick in the stomach! Words cant convey how much I appreciated Don's generosity, depth of knowledge, and willingness to share. RIP Brother, you will be missed.

Condolences to the family.
 
Hello,

I have been away and totally missed this news. I will hold the conversations I have had with Don near to my heart. They were mostly non audio and we both shared a lot as far as careers , getting old and what to do in the future. The last thing I heard from Don was early Autumn and it was a nice letter telling me how much he appreciated me. Well Don you really don't know how much you touched my heart. And you my friend are the one I appreciate.

Rest In Peace Friend,

Frannie
 
That was a beautifully composed obit. I've been fortunate, no blessed, to spend time with Don. Aside from discussing the usual audio/music-related stuff, Don was an impressively thoughtful, philosophical man, even before he became ill. Don was as much a teacher as he was a friend.

This one hurts.

At the very beginning of the end, he had been suffering from what he initially thought was a form of fatigue. When the diagnosis was finally made after all other possibilities were eliminated, he handled it with remarkable grace and resolution. I saw him selflessly take immediate steps to make things easier on his family after the inevitable would happen.

I would also like to recognize Don's neighbor, @LexDM3 , who I know worked hard to keep Don's spirits up and help him navigate his burden.
 
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